Hellsing: A New Child :Rewritten:
by Robert Falcon
Summary: A young man copes with becoming Hellsing's newest child of darkness as a new threat looms on the horizon. Rewrite for general improvement. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

And here we go, the rewrite to A New Child. I'm feeling pretty good with how it's turned out. Fixed my major plot holes and grammatical errors, and ready to give it a go. Reviews always welcome, as it's how I get better. More exact details on what's up on Chapter 9 (since 1-8 were already up at the time this was posted).

As always, I don't own Hellsing or any of the original characters of said series. Anything else I cite I don't own either, but I'll be adding those in as I go. This applies to the whole story, since I don't wanna have to write in in for each and every chapter. (Helps that I don't have thirty of them anymore, but I'll let you all see that for yourselves.)

On with the show!

UPDATE: I'm posting a slightly revised version of the story, making a slight alteration to Matt's appearance, a name change, some reformatting, and a few other upgrades here and there. I'll include all notes and just do a simple chapter swap. If I make another update, I will make note of it.

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From: Matt

To: Dad

Subject: Hi, Dad

Hey Dad,

I know what questions must be coming to your mind: "Where am I? How am I? What am I doing?" I'll answer them all with as much detail as I can give. I don't know yet if I'll be able to send or receive any messages after this is sent.

But before anything else, I want to say that I hope this message finds you well, and I want you to know that I miss you, Mom, Kit, Aky… Everyone. I pray I'll be able to see you again one day… but right now I don't know if that can ever happen.

So, where to begin… Well, let's sum up what we already know. I left home to come here to England for that study abroad program, the one for electrical engineering that would give me something like twelve credit hours over the summer. You knew I couldn't pass it up. The deal was almost too good to be true. I was supposed to come home a week ago. The night before my flight I hopped over to a mall near the dorm to grab some stuff for you all. That's about all you know… well, except the mall part. That was supposed to be a surprise.

Ever since the morning after I couldn't remember it all, but I'll tell you what I can. Well, I'd gone to that mall and I'd finished most of my shopping. Heh, even found a nice mask for you to put on the wall. That's when the plan of my night changed pretty far from the plan. I heard a lot of commotion further in the mall, and saw a herd of people running my way. I jumped to the side and waited for them all to pass. Then I had a rather poorly timed flash of curiosity. I went to look. Stayed close to the wall. I saw a standoff, a bunch of people, army and police types, to one side, and a lone guy on the other. Then… Everything's hazy. Next thing I can remember is lying on the floor. I've been shot… twice… I think it was the lone guy, but why he would've fired I don't remember. A young woman was above me. She was thanking me for something… She knew I was about to die. (I did too, but that's beside the point.) She gave me an offer. She could keep me from dying if I went with her. What could I say? I said yes.

Oh, she was wearing red-tint sunglasses at first, but took them off after thanking me. Her eyes were red. I think the lone guy's eyes were too. And this woman had long, pointed fangs. Dad, you're a smart guy. I think you can put two and two together.

So, to make a long story short, I'm a vampire. I know it seems ridiculous, insane even, but it's the truth. What's more, there's an organization in England tasked with ridding the world of them. I've joined them. Didn't have a lot of choice. It was sort of a "you're either with us or against us" sort of thing. I think… There's a lot about that night that's hazy now. I'm sure it was clear to me at the time… at least as clear as it could've been considering what was happening.

Still, I'm kinda lost now. I'm not certain what I'm going to do now, what they're gonna want from me. All I know is what I've become. There's one thing that makes it bearable: I don't need to get blood from living people to survive. Medical blood works just fine. Or so I've been told. I have yet to drink any… not sure what it'll make me if I do. I don't think I've lost my humanity yet, and I'm damn well not going to.

I don't envy you the task I'm asking you to do. Please find a way to tell mom, Kit, and Akira what happened. They'll let word spread that far, since I know I can trust you all, but past that we really need to keep this quiet. I'll update you if I can, let you know if I can ever come home… That is, if you'll still have me… Let me know, ok? Reply to this message. I'll read it when… and if… I can.

In case I can't, take care and fare well.

Love to everyone,

Matt


	2. Chapter 2

Matt sighed and hit 'send', waiting for message to leave the out box before standing and flopping onto the nearby bed. It had been exactly one week since the night his life had abruptly changed, and he was no closer to answering any of the questions his mind had come up with. All he'd gotten right was how typing that e-mail would make him feel, incredibly depressed.

The 19-year old Matthew Jemeth used to have hazel eyes. Recent events, however, meant they were now red. He had dark-brown hair, and was somewhat muscular after working out for most of that year. For the moment, at least, he wore glasses. 'Never can know just what's going to change about me,' he thought. As he lay on his bed, he wore a pair of blue jeans and a red t-shirt. On a chair by the door hung a jacket with a denim vest and fabric sleeves, recently modified with a pair of shields; one on its left breast and one high on its left sleeve. They were each the coat of arms of the Hellsing organization, the group he was essentially forced to join after being turned into a vampire.

His room wasn't highly decorated. A dresser for clothes, a desk on which his computer sat, along with a couple chairs, a table, and his bed. The walls were stone, much like the rest of his new 'home'.

He rolled over and stared at the ceiling, trying once again to answer just one of the questions running through his mind. He didn't get far before a knock at the door interrupted his thinking. A good thing too; trying to answer his questions simply made him feel worse. He looked to the door then made sure his eyes were dry. "Come in."

The door slowly opened, and a person entered: the pretty young woman with the red eyes. He finally got a good look at her… At least when he could remember clearly. She was young, probably the same age as he. She had reddish-blond hair, lightly tanned white skin, and wore a blue police style uniform… well, almost. The miniskirt didn't really help with the police image. As with his jacket, the uniform bore the coat of arms of the Hellsing organization at its left breast pocket and left sleeve. Along with that, she wore black, thigh high boots and white gloves. She had a kind face; the sort of face you want to trust. Certainly not like the classic sinister vampire image he'd known in the past. Unfortunately, he didn't know her name yet. "Hello, Matthew." She had a British accent, an accent Matthew had found pleasant in years past. She was also the first one to intrude on him in the past week, so Matt figured something was up.

Matt sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. "Hi. What's going on?"

She shrugged. "Nothing. It's just that you haven't been out of your room all week except for once, talking to Integra about your computer."

He raised an eyebrow at her. Matthew had just spoken with the group's leader; a woman named Integra Wingates Hellsing. Sir Integra, she'd been knighted by the Queen, had been the one to give Matthew permission to send e-mail. "You knew?" His tone was not angry or accusing, just curious.

She nodded. "I figured you had had enough time to sit and think. Do you want to talk about what has happened? It might help."

Matt slumped a bit, thinking. "Actually, I haven't even begun to figure it all out, but talking might help." He straightened up and gestured to a chair in his spartan room. "Please, sit." She sat, getting comfortable. His first question was an easy one, and came to him quickly. "You know, I never did ask you. What's your name?"

She settled into her chair and looked at him. "Seras. Seras Victoria."

"Seras," he repeated, letting the name roll through his head. "Nice name." She smiled, and he continued on. "How long have you been… You know…"

"A vampire?" At his nod, she said, "a few months now."

"How'd it happen to you?" If he could figure out how she dealt with the change, maybe he could find a way to deal as well.

"I was in the wrong place at the wrong time." She sighed, her eyes slipping back into memory. "My squad was sent in to deal with a disturbance, but no one happened to tell us the man we were looking for was a vampire. My squad was killed, and I found myself a hostage of the vampire. For the vampire to be killed, I had to be fatally shot. From there, what happened to you happened to me."

"Have you come to grips with it? The change?"

"Mostly, yes. Took a little while, but my master helped some."

Matt tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. "Your master?"

She flinched, as if caught doing something wrong. "Sorry. I mean Alucard. He's my, now, former master."

Matt's head stayed where it was. "Master?"

The continued expression drew a chuckle out of Seras. "It's a little complicated. I'll tell you later."

Matthew righted his head and lowered the eyebrow. "Ok, that works."

"I have a question for you, if you don't mind." Matthew gestured for her to continue. "Well, two. First the easy one: have they fixed the bed to your liking?"

When he'd arrived, the bed had been more like a coffin, with a lid held above the bed by four columns which would lower onto the bed when a button was hit, more in keeping to standard vampires. He'd not liked that one bit, and had actually gone as far as to disable its lowering mechanism. On the way back from talking with Integra, a man named Walter asked him if he was settling in. When he'd mentioned the bed, he said they would fix it. Later, a team came in to replace the bed with a more conventional one. "Yeah, they did. It helped a lot."

"Good. Now the more difficult one. Did you drink the medical blood I had sent here?"

Matthew looked down slightly. "No, I didn't. It didn't feel right to drink it."

Seras nodded. "I understand. I felt the same way. I had to watch Alucard drink someone's blood before instinct overrode that feeling. Take my advice: drink it. If you go much longer you'll be helpless if you're attacked. And trust me, you will be."

Giving a slight sigh, Matt said ruefully, "Well that sounds pleasant."

"Hmm…" Matt looked at Seras, who seemed to be considering something. "Have you ever shot a gun?"

Matt nodded. "I used to shoot semi-regularly, but I'm a little out of practice. It's been a couple years since I had the chance. Why do you ask?"

Seras smiled. "Well, I've been told to ensure you're ready to fight. But at the same time, I think I know something that might cheer you up a bit."

She led him into the dark stone hallway. Matt tried to figure out which way they were going, but his sense of direction had been messed up ever since they'd gotten there. He'd always had a good sense of direction, almost to the point of calling it a sixth sense. But he needed to have experience with an area, or at least be able to double check himself a couple of times off of the sun, to know exactly what direction he was facing. 'Probably not gonna get that particular marker again…'

Before he could get too far with his thinking a familiar, though muted, sound thumped into his ears. He looked up, Seras turning around to look at him. "Something?"

The corner of his mouth flicked up ever so slightly. "I should've realized what you had in mind. You've got a shooting range here."

Seras nodded, giving him a warm smile. She knew that the idea of shooting had, at least momentarily, chased away his depression. "Shall we?" She gestured to a nearby metal door. Matthew nodded, nearly running to open it.

Matt's eyes scanned over the room as they entered. A line of shooting stations were along the right side of the room, opening to the large shooting gallery with many targets, or mountings for them. They were all human silhouettes, with the largest target points coming from head or chest shots. Along the other side were lockers, racks of ear muffs / plugs and goggles, along with access to an armory to check out weapons for practice.

He grabbed a pair of ear muffs, figuring his glasses would be plenty of protection for his eyes. He also looked into the armory at what was available. He spotted a Walther P99, a 9-millimeter semi-auto. 'Good warm-up', he thought. He knew a wide variety of calibers, from a Ruger 22 to the new Smith & Wesson 500, a 50-caliber revolver. The armory officer walked up and spoke with Matthew, a few moments later bringing the Walther and a few magazines of ammo. Matt set himself up at a lane, checking the distance to the target: fifty meters. 'About fifty yards,' he thought. 'Eh, I'm out of practice. I'll probably hit the paper, and might get towards the center.'

He loaded a magazine and raised the pistol, deftly looking out of the corner of his eye to ensure he wasn't the only one shooting. His father's instructions running through his mind, he carefully aimed at the target's center and squeezed the trigger. The pistol fired.

Something felt decidedly wrong. He gently set the pistol down on the table. His confusion must have showed, as Seras walked over moments later.

The soldier in the lane next to him paused shooting, looked at Matt's target, then looked over at Matt. "Nice shot, lad. Right through the heart. Wanna aim for that or the head."

Matt looked up, seeing a small hole piercing the target through the ten point marker in its chest. "Wow…"

Seras looked at the target, then at Matt. "Something wrong?"

He looked at her. "Two things, actually. First, that's better accuracy than I've had… ever. Second, that gun felt too… weak. Felt more like a 22." He furrowed his eyebrows a moment, then let one raise up. "Perk of being a vampire?" At her nod, he looked down at the Walther. "Well, damn. I liked the recoil of 9 mil."

"Care to try something bigger?"

Matthew looked at her again, curious. She smiled, but said nothing. She walked back to the armory as Matt watched, then returned with a huge rifle, a large caliber single-shot rifle Matt would usually see as the local shooting range's machine gun shoot day. He was too stunned to grab it. And too stunned to notice she carried it in front of her with only one hand. "That one?" She nodded and he walked over to it, lightly chuckling. "What is it?"

"A 50 caliber sniper rifle."

Once again, one eyebrow started for the ceiling. "Umm… Sure. I tend to doubt it'll tear my arm off…" He reached out with both hands and took it from her… And was again surprised at how light it felt. After a pause, he said, "Cool. Freaky, but cool."

Seras started to chuckle. "Not quite the reaction I had to it, I must say. I doubted I could even lift the thing."

"Well, let's give it a try, shall we? Hand me a cartridge."

She brought her other hand around, a single 50-caliber round clutched in her fingers.

Matt had to chuckle at that. "You think of everything, don't you?" He set the cartridge down on the table and flipped down the rifle's bipod. "You ever shot this?"

"Yes, I did. Though I'll admit it was under much different circumstances."

"Well," he replied, "when in Rome…" He opened the rifle's bolt, slid in the round, and locked it in. Suddenly, Matthew noticed he was drawing a bit of a crowd; the other soldiers of Hellsing wanting to see how the new guy handled a rifle almost as long as he was tall. "Y'all might want to step back. I don't know how much this is gonna kick." Heeding his warning, the perimeter around him increased a bit. He brought the rifle tight into his shoulder, taking aim at the target's forehead. He squeezed the trigger. The rifle gave its loud report and a huge hole appeared in the target's forehead, obliterating the 10 point marker. Matthew set the rifle down and stood, rubbing his shoulder. "Ow."

Seras approached, looking concerned. "Are you all right?"

Matt nodded. "Yeah. Good pain. It's supposed to hurt. But I think I've had enough for one day." He hefted the rifle and started to walk towards the armory access.

"I'll get it. You head back to your room and I'll meet you there, ok?"

He looked back at her. "Umm… Ok." He slid open the bolt of the rifle, and the brass cartridge leapt out as it was extracted from the rifle. He caught the brass and set down the rifle. "I'm keeping this. See you in a bit."

He carefully made the journey back to his room. Somehow his sense of direction had caught on, if only on a limited basis. His shoulder had healed by the time he pushed the door closed, set the brass on the nearby dresser, and flopped back onto his bed. Seemed like a good place to wait. Before too long there was a knock at the door. He sat up, swinging his legs over the side. "Come in." Seras entered, as he'd expected. "Ah, hey Seras. Come on in. Sit down."

She entered, looking as if trying to judge his mood as she sat. "You seem happier. I'd thought shooting the pistol had only made things worse; reminding you that you've changed."

Matt nodded. "Yeah, it did. Shooting the rifle helped, though. Something that big should hurt to shoot, at least until I've finally adjusted to what's happened." He paused for a moment. "Though it does make me miss my dad. And everyone else back in the states."

Seras pulled back a bit. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to make you feel worse. You're going through a hard enough time as it is."

Matt looked directly into her eyes. "Seras, you're being more of a help than you know." He paused, then smiled. "You're not making me feel worse. Nostalgic, yes, but I've been doing that for the good year I've been away from home. It's just a bit more acute now that I don't think I'll ever see them again. But let's jump to a different topic. You still owe me an explanation of the whole 'master' thing."

Seras blushed slightly. "Well… all right. I'm still learning it myself, so I don't know how difficult it will be to explain. When a person is turned… is made into a vampire, the vampire that turned them becomes their master, and the new vampire is their fledgling."

Matthew nodded to show he was keeping up. "Ah." Then, his eyes widened. "Oooh…"

"Hold on. Let me finish. When the new vampire either drinks their master's blood or takes a fledgling of their own they are no longer a fledgling. Hey, that was easier than I thought it would be."

"So that means you're my master." Matt's eyebrows furrowed. He didn't really like the idea, but if he had to call her that then he would.

However, she held up a hand. "Please don't call me 'Master'. You know my name. Seras Victoria. Call me that."

"All right. Seras it is, then." He tried to think of what to ask her about, when an alarm klaxon interrupted his train of thought. "What's that?"

Before Seras could speak, an announcement sounded from a hidden speaker in the ceiling. "We are at code 2. Code 1 in fifteen minutes."

Seras stood. At Matthew's look of questioning, she spoke, "We've got a mission. We leave in fifteen minutes. I need to grab my things. I would suggest you drink the blood then meet me at the assembly area."

Matthew also stood and nodded. "I'll find a way. I'll be there." Seras, suddenly a lot more professional, nodded and left. Matthew turned to the bucket of ice holding a bag of medical blood. He didn't have time to think, time to tell himself why he must and why he was no less human for drinking it. He grabbed the bag and bit off the end of the drain tube, then started drinking it like a pouch drink. After a few gulps, he started feeling a strange… thirst… He stopped drinking, analyzed the feeling, and promptly slapped himself. "I may have to drink it, but I'm damn well not going to like it." Thoughtlessly, he finished the bag. Physically, he felt better than he had in the past few days. Mentally, he wasn't sure. He went to the nearby sink, drank some water to clean his mouth, grabbed his jacket, and ran out the door.

Five minutes later, Matthew waited at the edge of the growing group for Seras's arrival. Master by name or not, she still knew more about what was going on. He was going to stick with her as long as he could. While Matthew was staring at nothing, someone walked up. He was an older man, with a bald head and a gray mustache. What appeared to be a scar ran from the corner of his left eye down along the front of his left cheek. He carried himself like a leader, tall and strong. "You must be the new vampire," he stated.

Matt was snapped out of his blank stare. He stiffened into an attention stature. "Yes, sir. I am."

"This will be your first mission, correct?" Matt answered affirmatively. When the man continued speaking, his voice seemed to loose a bit of its edge. Not much, but enough for Matthew to know he wasn't being dressed down. "I understand you're new to this organization, and that you may be uncomfortable with that you'll be told to do. You will still be required to do your job and eliminate the enemy."

"I understand, sir. I'll try to not let you down." The man seemed to size Matthew up for a moment, then turned and attended to other people. Matthew relaxed with a sigh. 'What the hell have I gotten myself into…' he thought.

"You alright?"

Matt turned to the voice. It was Seras, and she was carrying the largest rifle Matthew had ever seen. "Umm, yeah," he replied. Just got a bit of a 'pep talk' from one of the commanders around here." He pointed to the man inspecting a line of soldiers.

"Ah, that's Fargason. He gave me the same treatment when I first joined. He's a good man."

Matt nodded slightly. "Seems to be. Still, I'll take your word for it. Now, what in the hell is that thing?" He pointed to the rifle.

Seras smiled. "My rifle. A Harkonnen 30 millimeter cannon firing depleted uranium or incendiary explosive shells. Walter gave it to me."

"Walter? Yeah, I think I know him. He's the guy who spoke to me after leaving Sir Integra's office. I'll probably get to know him better later. Let's get this over with." The two vampires joined the crowd entering the vehicles heading into the field. "What about Alucard? Is he going to join us?"

"Maybe. Hard to know when he'll show up. Though if he does, he wouldn't go in any vehicle. He's got his own ways of getting around."

"Ok…" Matt shrugged and settled into one of the seats.


	3. Chapter 3

Fargason listened to his headset. "Two targets approaching running side-by-side. Victoria, take the one of the left. Jemeth, take the one on the right."

"Understood," each vampire replied, almost in unison.

They were some distance from London, out in the countryside of England. It was a full moon, giving ample light to the area. Rolling hills stretched off into the distance, as those stars bright enough to best the moon's attempt to blot them out shone in the sky. It was a cool night. All in all, it would have been ideal… if not for what they were there to do.

Matt and Seras lay on a hill overlooking one of the back roads running across the hills, each with a sniper rifle in hand. He would have looked over at Seras, but he knew both had to concentrate on the task at hand. He'd already locked in his fifty-caliber silver round and had pulled the rifle tight into his shoulder. He peered along the sights toward the closest hill, casually wondering just how far away it was.

Any moment now, a pair of vampires would be cresting the hill. These two had been rampaging across England indiscriminatingly kill those in their path. They were being herded to the hill, where they would be taken down for good. It seemed that this sort of thing happened now and then, but with a little more regularity in recent months. It was tragic, but it was a good type of missions to train newcomers, like Matt.

"Range is 500 meters. In the name of God, impure souls of the living dead shall be banished into eternal damnation. Amen. Fire when ready."

"500 meters?" Matt's mind fought the concept. "Which hill is that?"

Fargason came forward and pointed. It was the third hill away.

"What? I can barely see the top of that hill! How am I going to be able to aim at something over there?"

Seras replied before Fargason could. "You can see that far. Trust me. Just relax your eyes, and you'll see your target come into your sights. Just like on the shooting range."

Hearing her words helped calm him. "Ok." He did as she instructed. 'Eh, maybe this whole master thing won't be so bad after all… I listen to her anyway. Now I have more reason.' Suddenly, he saw them: two men running down the road far faster than humanly possible. Focusing on the guy on the right, Matt took aim at his head. He saw the man's red eyes, dried blood on his cheeks. There was no question this man was a vampire. "Target in sight. Permission to fire?"

Fargason's deep voice replied. "Granted. Take him out."

Matthew fired, and a fraction of a second later his target fell in a pile of ash. His comrade dropped in a similar fashion moments after.

Fargason spoke into his headset, "Targets have been silenced. Victoria silenced target A, and Jemeth silenced target B." He turned to Matthew. "Congratulations, Jemeth. You are now a member of the Hellsing organization."

The trip back was a silent one. Matthew simply sat in the transport, unconsciously swaying with its motion and staring at the far wall. Seras gave him a couple concerned looked on the trip, but kept silent. They checked their weapons back in and started back to the basement together. Seras spoke first. "I think that was the hill I fired from on my first successful mission."

She was trying to distract him, and he really did appreciate it. But all he could mutter was, "Really? Interesting." Realizing he was talking without thinking, he gave his head a quick shake. "Sorry. My brain is bringing up some difficult questions."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. Later maybe. I'm just gonna go get some rest."

"All right, then," she said with a nod. She probably figured he'd tell her when he was ready, or that she could pry at another time. "Rest well." Seras turned off down a different corridor. Matthew continued towards his room, hoping he would actually get some sleep that night.

There were no missions over the next few days, so Matt slipped into one of his routines. Routines were important to him. He'd used them for a long time in his life to make sure the important things got done, or that he at least made it through a day in one piece. Right then, they were a lifeline to sanity. He stayed in his room, thinking over what happened during his first mission.

He'd taken a life. Well… kinda. Ever since he could first really reason, he and his sister had learned about firearms, and how to use them. It had come to the point where whenever he picked up a gun he checked if it was loaded. An unloaded firearm was safe, though you still never pointed it at anyone, even if it was no better than a club at that point.

But still, he'd killed someone without even thinking it to be wrong. Had he somehow violated all that his father had taught him? 'I'd have to ask him to be sure…'

Matt did go on his computer now and then, but he didn't go on-line. He'd gotten permission for one e-mail, but he hadn't asked for anything else. He would wait a little longer before asking Sir Integra about permanent internet access. Seras had stopped by a couple times as well, trying to keep his spirits up. Matt had figured that she felt sorry for him, knowing how difficult the transition can be. He appreciated the effort, though he really didn't want to come across as needy. He hoped he could make up to her for all the help she'd given him.

One day he awoke and walked to the mirror to ensure he was still in one piece, something that had quickly joined the new routine. As he checked around, he noticed that all his muscles had been enhanced. 'Perk of being a vampire…' He sighed, seeing this as yet another change taking him further away from what he used to be. Matthew wondered how much of his humanity he was going to loose…

A couple more days of routing later, an alarm broke his concentration. That meant he was about to start his second mission. He'd probably be required to kill again… He gave a sigh, numbing his thoughts. He had to focus on what he was doing. 'Desperate times…' He got up from his chair and started for the door. He stopped as he passed by the table. Atop it was a bucket of ice holding a bag of blood. He briefly considered drinking it, citing he may need the strength for battle. But he shook his head. 'No. I can wait.' He ran out the door, making his way up a floor and joining the crowd heading to the assembly area.

He met Seras there. She'd grabbed her cannon before joining them. Matt decided to stay at stand-by. He'd noted one transport being loaded with munitions, so he could probably select something once they arrived; once he knew what was going on. "You up for this?" Seras asked.

Matthew shrugged. "Not like I've got much of a choice, huh?" She paused, then gave a grave nod as Fargason hopped up on a platform to give a fast briefing. He told the group that they'd received reports suggesting a vampire and several squads of ghouls were massing in a building on the other side of the city. They didn't know what they might be planning, but that didn't matter. The techs would figure that out later by sifting through whatever the vampire had there. Alucard would deal with the vampire while Matthew and Seras joined the human troops against the ghouls.

It turned out that someone had made the armament decisions for him. Matthew was given an M-60 machine gun paired with a backpack of ammunition. He quieted his mind, which had been raising more questions, as he slung the backpack on and got into one transport. Seras sat across from him. They were the last in, so they would be first out when they arrived. The transport started moving out. Matthew looked up at Seras and quietly, or at least as quietly as the noisy transport allowed, asked, "So what's the plan, oh fearless leader?"

He got the desired effect; a chuckle from Seras that helped calm his mind. "When we get there," she replied, "you and I lead the way in. Shoot anything that's not human… other than us, of course."

Matthew nodded in reply. "Got it." He checked his ammo. It looked like standard copper jacketed lead ammunition. He gave a slight frown. The ammunition for the rifle last mission was silver. He looked back at Seras. "I take it lead works on ghouls."

Seras nodded back. "Yes. Just be sure to hit them in the head or heart. One shot, two at the most, should take them out. I'll set myself up near the door to give cover fire."

"Then I'll run in gun blazing, I suppose. Don't take to long getting set up with that howitzer of yours. I might take them all out before you can launch a round." He put on a façade of cheer, not wanting to let her know exactly how he was feeling; nervousness, dread, and strangely enough a small amount of excitement.

A few minutes later, the transport came to a halt. Seras grabbed one door and flung it open, Matt following suit with the human troops close behind them. They were nearing the outskirt industrial zone, where abandoned buildings could be found. This office was one of them. Its windows were boarded up, no light emanating from it. Graffiti stretched along one of the sides; an alley. The best entry was a double door, in the middle of the front wall.

They assembled by the door; rammers up front, Seras and Matt second, and the rest of the troops behind. Matthew reached back and grabbed the ammo belt hanging from the backpack, then brought it up to his M-60 and loaded it in. He yanked on its charging lever, pulling the first round into the chamber. Off to the side, Fargason met with a field observer and another officer. The other wore the standard Hellsing uniform. He had a young face, probably in his twenties. A pair of blue eyes peered through his goggles and very dark brown hair could be seen under his helmet. Matt leaned over to Seras. "Who's that?" He pointed to the officer.

"That's Marcus Johnson, Fargason's chief field commander," Seras replied. "He's been leading many of the larger groups operations recently. Word has it Fargason's grooming him to be his replacement for when he finally retires. He's a good soldier; former SAS, Special Air Services. High level troops in the Royal Air Force." Fargason walked away and Johnson started over to them. "He's good at leading the troops."

"Thanks, Seras."

Johnson started with talking to the vampires. "I want you two to go in first. Head to the sides of the room and give covering fire for the rest of us." He waited for Seras and Matt to nod, then turned to include the others. "We'll be going straight down a short hallway in this building to a large meeting hall. The latest intel showed the ghouls in that area. Let's form up, and move out." His orders were straight forward and to the point. He'd do as a CO.

The doors were locked shut, so a pair of soldiers brought a couple portable rams to the head of the group. The human troops were armed with MP5s with Walther P99s as sidearms. Each checked their weapons were loaded and ready, flipping the safeties on until the last possible moment. With a nod from Johnson, the forward troops slammed their rams into the doors with enough force to break the lock and fling them open. Seras and Matt, the next pair, charged in. It was dark, but Matt's newly enhanced eyes gave him a clearer picture of area.

Johnson took position next to the soldiers of Hellsing. "You'll head straight down a short corridor and into a large meeting hall. Last intel shows that's where the ghouls are. Good luck." Straightforward, to the point… Yeah, this guy would do as a CO. He signaled the rammers to go. They charged ahead, slamming their rams into the wood double doors. They flew open, and the rammers stepped back dropping rams and pulling up their MP5s. Seras lanced out, running full tilt. Matthew was hot on her heels with the rest of the troops following. The doors to the meeting hall were already open, and one ghoul actually looked up. The vampire was apparently paying attention at that moment, as the ghouls started to form up.

Seras entered the room and started right, looking for a good firing position. Matthew entered moments after and moved left, firing the M-60 from his left hip. Its 7.62 mm rounds tore through the ghouls, some taking several bullets as Matthew's aim moved high enough to hit their hearts. They dropped in ashes and body parts. The rest of the troops entered, firing short bursts from their sub-machine guns and finding cover behind overturned tables.

Matt looked over at Seras and saw she was about to fire. He fired a couple bursts to clear the few ghouls around her and waited. He was curious about that cannon of hers. She fired, and the cannon's loud report actually made Matthew flinch. He could see the projectile as it crossed the room, taking out a line of ghouls as it flew to connect with the far wall. 'Damn! I'm glad she's on our side!'

Matthew took aim again at another small cluster and fired. He got off about five rounds, enough to take out the ghouls, but realized he'd fired all the belt of ammo. He reached back to grab another belt as he checked the others. The human troops were at least holding their own, but a sound of panic drew Matthew's attention. One soldier's MP5 had jammed, and he was trying to pull its magazine and check it, but pair of ghouls were about to drop on him. There was little time to act, and Matthew was the closest to him. So, with a yell to try and draw the ghouls' attention, Matthew sprinted to the soldier's aid and with a wide swing slammed the ghouls' heads off. They fell in ashes and pieces. The soldier nodded in thanks, loading in a fresh magazine.

The combined firepower of Seras, Matthew, and the human troops quickly sent the remaining ghouls to whatever lay beyond.

All was silent as the troops, returning with no losses, started back for the transports as a clean-up team went in to put things back in order. From the shadows, Alucard appeared and pulled Seras aside for a private talk. Matt watched, but did not approach. Then, as suddenly as he appeared, Alucard stepped off and vanished into the night. Seras stared after him for a while. Now, Matthew stepped over to her and looked as if trying to see what she was looking at. "Something?"

She simply looked back with an 'its nothing, please drop it,' look on her face.

Matthew nodded in reply. "So, back to the barn?"

"Yes," she replied, though not with the slight smile Matt had hoped for. "Now we head back."


	4. Chapter 4

Matthew bit the tip off the bag of blood and quickly drank it. Thankfully, the thirst that had hit him the last time did not return. Whatever these instincts were, at least they were learning what he would tolerate. He was back in his room at Hellsing recovering from the mission. With no crisis to distract him, though it was quite laughable he was hoping for a crisis to distract him, his thoughts drifted back to the situation he'd found himself in. And a slow realization fell over him. In all of this, there was one person he hadn't spoken with.

Himself.

One of his hands came up to his face, cradling his chin and scratching his cheek. The other arm came to his stomach to support the other. And he started to pace across his room.

"Well, Matt, old boy," he started, "here we are. Let's try to figure out what's happened to us and what we're gonna do about it, ok?" He'd always had an overpowered imagination, reigned in over the years as he needed to focus on other things. Though it did have uses. He could give aspects of himself a voice through it, helping him organize thoughts or work through difficult situations.

Admittedly, the latter was mainly a defense mechanism. To it he had attributed his decent pain tolerance and ability to find more energy when fatigued. Other times he'd tried to work many difficult thoughts through it can come up short. Time to see if he'd found something easier for it to chew on.

"First, what am I?" There was little question to that one, he was a vampire. "More difficult, what have I lost? No… Worry about that later. Main problem, how do I deal with what's happened to me?"

After a few moments, the first possible solution drifted to the top of his mind. "Keep doing what I'm doing. Pro, I'm somewhat protected. Yeah, my job is to fight, but I don't have to worry about being attacked because I'm a vampire… I don't think. Con, I'll have to kill." He thought over it. "Might work, but I've gotta get in touch with my folks…" He needed to hear his father say it was all ok…

Another idea came into Matt's mind. "Work out a deal and see if I can stop. They know I'm not gonna feed off the living… Or do they? I wouldn't have to kill for them, but would I have to kill to defend myself? Scratch that idea. It won't work."

"Next idea, transfer. Try to get a supporting role rather than work in the field. An assistant to Walter? No. I'm a vampire. They'll want me working out there killing 'my own kind'." He sighed. "Scratch that."

For several minutes, Matthew stood silent, the full scope of his situation finally sinking in. "I'm a vampire. They'll never let me leave this organization for the rest of my existence, and if they disband before I am killed, I can be damned sure they'll at least try to kill me before they close their doors. For now, I've gotta stay with them. I have little choice." He shook his head. "No, make that no choice. I'll talk with Integra again and see if I can get e-mail back. I've gotta get in touch with my folks. And Aky…" His brain froze at the thought of her. 'Aky…' he repeated in his mind. He missed her terribly. She had been one of his main supports. 'But what will she think of me now?' He let out a shuddering sigh. "For now, I've just gotta grab all the luck I can get. God knows what I'll have to do next…" His mind paused again…

God… Where was God in all this? Matt had never been the most religious of people, but he'd had his own strange relationship with God. His own sort of doctrine that he would follow. Not that he invented his own religion, or something, but he took what he'd heard of different religious doctrines and used that along with his own sense of morality to form the plan by which he would live his life. With a sigh, he told himself to worry about it later. He collapsed onto his bed, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.

The next morning, Matthew hauled himself up to a sitting position and rubbed his eyes a bit. He'd woken up a couple times during the night. Apparently, his brain wasn't quite done with him. In the end, he'd decided it was time to talk to Sir Integra again. He had to get in touch with his folks again. With the first time, he'd guaranteed her that his family was very reliable. They would recognize that this wasn't information they should spread, and keep it to themselves. She had to believe that was still true… She just had to.

He reached over to turn on a light and finally opened his eyes. He paused, then brought his hand to his face. No… he didn't have his glasses on. He hadn't had a chance to grab them yet. But his vision was clear… "Perk of being a vampire, I guess." He looked at his glasses. "Well, I guess I won't be needing you anymore, huh?" He stood, leaving the glasses where they sat. He wondered if this would be a good omen for the day. It was high time his luck turned around.

Now, he had to actually get to Sir Integra's office. Luckily, the corridors he had to go through were all dark. Last he checked, vampires and sunlight didn't mix. Before he left his room, though, there was something he had to do. He looked towards the ceiling. "Hey, up there. It's me again. Been a little while since I spoke to you about anything. I've kinda been a little busy, as you probably already know. I'll admit I'm having a bit of a crisis of faith right now. I know that's not really your problem, it's mine. Though I could use a little boost right about now. I'd like to be able to see a sunset again, without it being on tv or in a movie." During his early college career, Matthew had frequented a local beach to watch the sunset. He found it to be a very relaxing way to spend some time. "I know that's a bit much to ask, but if anyone can do it you can. Thanks." His gaze slowly shifted from the ceiling to the door. Part of him said that what he'd just done was a little… dorky. But for the first time in his life, he really needed to have faith in something. That there was some purpose on what had happened to him, and that someone had his back. Well, he knew Seras did, but he needed more. For now, at least. He headed out, hoping that the rest of the day would go well.

That night, Matthew once again lay staring at the ceiling as a knock came from the door. "Come in, Seras," Matthew called to the door.

Seras Victoria entered. "How did you know it was me?"

"Logical deduction. I'm lying here staring at the ceiling, saddening thoughts running through my head. Who else would choose now to visit? I swear, you must be telepathic or something." Seras didn't reply, so Matt rolled his head to look at her. The slightest hint of a smile was forming at the sides of her mouth. "Are you?" Seras nodded. "Well, that explains a lot."

Seras walked in and shut the door behind her, moving towards her usual chair.

"Ah, no glasses anymore."

"Yeah, woke up this morning and I didn't need them. Thought that would be a good omen for the day."

She paused, waiting for him to continue. When he didn't, Matt figured she realized it hadn't been a good omen. "What's bothering you?"

'Should I tell her…? Eh, what the hell.' After thinking a moment, he spoke. "Do you know what day it is today?"

Seras paused a brief moment. "Yes. It's September 27th. Why?"

Matthew looked at the ceiling again. "September 27th, 2004. Today is my three-year anniversary; first kiss with my, now, girlfriend… And I can't even send her an e-mail wishing her well."

"Can't send an e-mail? I thought you were going to talk to Integra about that."

Yeah, she was telepathic all right. Matthew hadn't mentioned his plans to her. "I did. This morning. She said, 'You have yet to prove your worth to this organization.' Yeah, I do my job, but so do you. I'm redundant."

Seras paused a moment. "What else?"

Matthew sighed. "Last night I had a crisis of faith, and right now I'm not sure how that will end."

"Mind explaining it?"

"Sure. I've never been the most religious of people, but I've had my own sort of relationship with God. Didn't follow an exact religious doctrine, but I used ideas from what I knew to form a plan for my life. Essentially, be a good, caring person. Now and then, I would look up and make a request. Nothing major, just asking for help. Sometimes for something in my life, but usually help for someone I knew. And, usually, what I asked for happened. Not always as I'd expected, but who ever said my idea was the best one? Other times, I'd simply talk about what's happening, figuring that God might just want to hear about what's going on in my life. Hear someone with something other than a question."

Matthew sat up on his bed and looked at Seras. "And, now and then, he'd throw a little challenge my way. I heard it once, 'God doesn't give you a challenge he knows you can't handle', or something like that. And, that's about what it was: a little wrench thrown into my plan that I had to work around. I think he got a little chuckle out of it, more in that I succeeded than in laying the actual challenge." He sighed, then threw his arms outward to basically gesture to the whole building. "But where the hell did this come from!" He let his arms drop to his sides with a slight vexing sigh. "I mean, I can understand jumping through hoops to get into a college, dealing with classes, working out to get into ROTC… But this? Getting turned into what most of the human race would call an inhuman creature of the night? How do I benefit from that?" He paused, then let his face relax from its look of pained confusion. "How could I possibly be able to deal with that?" He looked over at her, his eyes looking slightly damp. "If it weren't for you, I don't know how I would be able to handle this. I've been cut off from everyone I know and love, but you've very quickly become a great and trusted friend. Thank you."

Seras was speechless for several long minutes. Finally, she regained her voice. "You're more than welcome, Matthew. Is there anything else I can do to help?"

Matthew's eyes drifted to the floor a bit. He pulled his legs up onto the bed to sit cross-legged, and rubbed his eyes to dry them. After a moment, he looked back to Seras and smiled. "Yeah. Head over to my computer."

"Ok…" She stood and walked to the table he'd set his computer on. After moving the mouse to shut off the screensaver, she looked back to him. "What am I looking for?"

"I think it's time for some music. Should be a music folder on the desktop." She easily found it and opened it up. Matt closed his eyes as he recalled what was where. "Second row, third file from the left. Give it a double click."

Seras read the file title as she clicked on it. "1000 Words? What is it?"

"Song from a game," Matt replied, "Final Fantasy X-2." There was a pause as the music player booted up. In that time, Matthew spoke. "Akira is playing this song for me right now." Though he didn't say it, he knew Seras knew Akira was his girlfriend. The way he said it, and what he thought when he said it, would give it away.

"Right now? How do you know?"

"I dunno," Matt replied. "I just know. And it's almost appropriate, considering the situation." The song began. It was the Japanese version, Matt preferring Koda Komi's voice to Jade's English version, but he knew its message. We've been separated, but I'm sending my love to you. May it reach you, comfort you, and bring you home. That message was especially potent to him right then, and he suspected it was for Akira as well.

A look at Seras showed its message wasn't lost on her either. "It's a lovely song. Thank you."

"Any time, but I should be thanking you. You played it." Matthew got up and shut down the program. "One of these days I need to get back to a piano. I'm pretty good, but I'm out of practice. It's been a few months since I've had the chance to play." He considered telling her of his recent conversations with himself, but he never got to it. There was a rap at the door. "Come in," Matt called.

The door opened, and an older black haired man entered. His blue-gray slacks, black vest, white long-sleeve shirt, and red tie gave the impression of a manservant type person. His warm smile helped to brighten Matthew's still slightly darkened mood. "Greetings, Ms. Victoria. Mr. Jemeth"

"Hello, Walter," Seras replied cheerfully. Matt simply nodded his greeting. "What's going on?"

"I heard about Mr. Jemeth's recent conversation with Sir Integra, and I believe I know a way to make him more valuable to the organization. If you would please follow me."

Curious, Matthew stood and followed Seras and Walter from his room. Matt jogged to catch up with Walter. "Excuse me. I remember that you name is Walter, but who are you?"

"I am a retainer of the Hellsing family. I use my skills to defend the family and this organization."

"And you provide weapons the likes of which most people have never seen."

Walter looked over at Matthew, a pleased smile on his face. "Ah, you must have seen Ms. Victoria's cannon."

Matthew nodded. "Indeed. I've even seen it in action. And if you have a similar idea for me, I'm almost afraid to ask what it is."

They approached what was probably the facility's armory. Walter unlocked the door then looked back at Matthew before opening it. "I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised, Mr. Jemeth." He opened the door and went inside. Matthew went next, followed by Seras. Seras closed the door behind them. The armory was a decent sized room, appropriately lined with weapons. It was filled, mainly with MP5s and Walther P99s; the standard loadout for Hellsing missions. A few other weapons were present, mainly Seras's cannon and a pair of large handguns, one nickel-plated and one black. Matthew could only guess they were Alucard's.

Walter had disappeared to the back of the room, but soon returned with a rather large case. He hefted it onto the table, quickly catching his breath after, and unlocked the case. He opened it, and Matt found himself looking at a weapon that looked like it should be wearing a Nerf logo rather than fire real ammunition. At the weapon's heart was a tube about three and a half inches in diameter and about a foot and a half, maybe two feet long. Under the tube's muzzle was a handgrip about five or six inches long. Starting several inches back from the handgrip was a large curved section which ran the rest of the length of the tube and ended with a shoulder stock/brace. 'Probably holds a firing mechanism.' Behind the tube and above the shoulder stock was a large loading hatch. "This, Mr. Jemeth, is the Valkyrie Assault Cannon. Although it's generally found on armored vehicles, we've modified it for handheld use by adding the shoulder stock and forward handgrip with firing stud. It fires three inch diameter shells loaded with either a depleted uranium slug or silver-lead alloy shot. Ammunition is stored in this backpack." He grabbed a backpack from a nearby hanger and handed it to Matthew. "It carries thirty rounds of ammunition: fifteen slugs and fifteen shot. You will find your next round of each from dispensers at your right and left hips respectively."

Tenetively, Matthew lifted the weapon from its case and managed to hide his surprise at being able to lift the thing as he pulled it to his left shoulder. 'Left hand on the forward grip, pull tight into the left shoulder, right hand on the pad above the barrel.' He then pivoted the weapon down. 'This button unlocks the loading hatch. Single shot.' He pressed the button just before a rear hatch, and the hatch sprung open. He pressed it back down and locked it in place. Setting the cannon down, he grabbed the backpack. "Where will I get ammo for it?"

"Ah, we can load the pack now." Walter started for an ammo case nearby. "Better now than when an alarm sounds, right?"

"Uh huh," Matt replied. The two loaded the pack with ammo, Seras watching on trying to judge Matthew's reaction. Once the pack was loaded Matt swung it onto his back. He easily found the dispensers, but no ammo was waiting for him. "Um, how do I get ammo out?"

Walter explained. "You'll find a switch behind each dispenser. Up to start ammo moving, down to stop. It's a rather hard switch to move, but that will keep it from shutting off during battle."

"Makes sense." Matthew pantomimed switching on the right dispenser and grabbing a round. He then did the motion of opening the loading hatch, sliding in the round, aiming, and firing. The last stage came complete with sound effects. "Yep, this should do nicely." He said it with some enthusiasm; he was trying to hide his nervousness of the cannon from everyone… including himself. He looked to Walter and smiled. "Thanks, Walter." Walter nodded, apparently gladdened that his work was appreciated. "A question, though. Could I request certain weapons?"

Walter paused. "I suppose so. What is the request, and for what reason?"

"The reason is for back up." Matthew gestured to the cannon. "Valkyrie looks like a great cannon, and will serve me well as a main gun. Problem is with only thirty rounds I might run out of ammo in a larger scale battle, like when the Valentine brothers attacked HQ." He referred to the time when a pair of vampires and a huge number of ghouls attacked the Hellsing facility resulting in the loss of about half of Hellsing's troops and heavy damage to the facility. Calling it a target rich environment would have been an understatement. "Also, there'll probably be times when the cannon is simply too much gun for the task at hand." Walter considered this, and nodded for him to continue. "So, I want a pair of Browning High-Powers." For Seras, he added, "It's a nine millimeter pistol I'm kinda fond of." He looked back to Walter. "One will need some modifications, but compared to adding a stock and handgrip to Valkyrie they should be a piece of cake." He held his hands out to pantomime his descriptions. "I want them set up so that the slide releases can be hit with my thumbs and the magazine releases can be pushed with my index fingers. The controls on one if not both guns will need to be flipped around for them to work." Walter jotted down the request, then gestured for Matthew to continue. "I'll want eight magazines. Seventeen rounders if you can get them and thirteen rounders if you can't. I'd like them to be all of the same capacity, just for ease of remembering how many rounds of ammo I have left on me. Six magazines should be filled with standard copper jacketed lead ammunition. Lead works just fine against ghouls. The other two I'd like filled with 'Alucard bullets'."

Walter looked at him. "Alucard bullets."

"Yes," Matt replied. He'd heard a while back what ammunition Alucard used against vampires. For lack of a better name, he dubbed them 'Alucard bullets'. "Mercury filled silver bullets. Blessed if possible."

Walter nodded, understanding. "Ah, anti-vampire bullets."

"Yeah. Just in case I run into one and Seras or Alucard aren't around."

Walter finished writing and looked up. "Alright, Mr. Jemeth, I have your request. It will take some time to complete, but probably no more than a week. I will also work up a holster belt for the pistols and magazines."

Matt smiled. "I'm sure I'll be pleased with them. Thank you very much, Walter." Right after he finished speaking, as if on cue, the alarm klaxon started to sound. "Well, good thing we loaded up that pack, huh?" Matt grabbed Valkyrie and braced if against his shoulder. He then turned to Seras. "Gotta get your gun?"

She nodded. "Yes. Even if I don't use it, it's good to have."

"Better to have and not need than need and not have. Makes sense." Matt looked to Walter. "Got a Walther I could borrow?"

"Certainly, Mr. Jemeth." Walter turned and grabbed a holster belt from the wall behind him. "One Walther P99 and 4 magazines. One is already loaded, but the pistol has not been cycled."

"This'll do just fine, Walter." Matt set Valkyrie down long enough to put on the belt. Grabbing Valkyrie again, he spoke to Walter. "Time for a field test. I'll let you know how much ass it kicks." Walter nodded his appreciation. Matt turned to Seras. "I'll see you at the assembly area." The two vampires left the armory to finish preparations for battle.


	5. Chapter 5

Matt waited as the other troops arrived. He stayed off to the side for the most part; didn't really feel like he was a part of the team yet. A few glances came his way, probably because of the cannon. 'Maybe after tonight I'll be a better contributing member?' He had to do something big. Something that would show he was committed to the task at hand. He wasn't sure what that something was, but he would recognize it when he saw it.

Seras arrived with the last group, Harkonnen on her shoulder. They gave nods of greeting to each other, but that was all there was time for. Fargason addressed the assembled troops. "We have something of a hostage situation on our hands tonight. A large group of people are being held in a hotel on the other side of London. The vampire is preparing to turn them to supplement the ghouls he already controls. Alucard will go in ahead of us to engage and distract the vampire. We're going in to silence the ghouls and rescue the hostages. We have a plan set up, and will finalize it once we're on site and have the latest intel. Load up!"

The troops turned and ran in formation to the transports. Matthew, shifting his weight to compensate for Valkyrie's mass, managed to keep up with Seras, who was used to running with her six foot plus cannon and was a bit faster on her feet.

Matthew ended up setting Valkyrie on his lap once everyone had filed on. He'd sat across from Seras, by the door. They'd been the first to the transport, but they let human troops fill the transport before they joined. 'Last in means first out.' They would be leading the way. 'Probably helps inspire confidence in the troops. Let's them know we're on their side.'

They stuck to darkened back roads, but quickly made their way across London. The hotel in question wasn't a four star, but it wasn't a seedy motel either. It was a couple stories tall, and looked to have hosted business meetings some time ago. Once the hatch dropped, Seras and Matthew ran out and over to where Fargason, who had been on a transport ahead of theirs, was planning the attack.

Fargason was looking over plans for the hotel's first floor. There weren't any staterooms there, mostly just administration, food preparation for the restaurant, and conference rooms. Occasionally as he spoke, he looked up at Johnson to ensure they were on the same page. Johnson would, in fact, be leading the team. It'd be a bad thing if he didn't know what the plan was. Fargason's finger slid over to one of the conference rooms. "Latest intel suggests the hostages are being held in this conference room. An unknown, but probably small, group of ghouls is standing watch over them." His finger slid to the conference room next to it, connected by a short hall. "But this room is the problem. Intel also shows a large contingent of ghouls here for backup. We'll need to hit both rooms at once. But the more we have on one team, the less we can have on the other. And our priority must be safeguarding the hostages."

'Now! Now's your chance!' Matthew stepped forward to the table, opposite Fargason. "Sir, I can take care of the ghouls in the second conference room."

Fargason looked up. "'You' will?"

"Yes, sir, 'I' will. You said so yourself, you need all the men you can get to save those people. You'll need Seras there for cover fire. I'm free, so I can hit the other ghouls. They tend to be a bit single minded, and I plan on drawing as much of their attention as possible." He pointed to the conference room's side door leading to the connecting hallway. "I'll plant myself there and keep those ghouls bottled up tight. You'll have all the time you need to get those people out." Matthew gave a small smile. "I might even finish them off before the rescue team is done with theirs."

"You're sure you can do it." Fargason's tone told Matthew he wasn't sure, but was considering the plan.

Matthew's voice was filled with confidence. "I'm sure, sir. I won't let you down."

Fargason was quiet a moment longer, looking as if sizing Matthew up. "Mission approved. Let me know when you are ready to proceed. If you pull this off…" He trailed off, gave a slight nod, and without another word he started for the troops.

Matthew watched after him for a moment, wondering what that had meant. Truth be told, he really did feel all the confidence he showed. He may not have come to grips with what he had become, but there was no question about his job. Besides, silencing ghouls made him feel better. For one, he was essentially ending their suffering. For two, he felt he was getting back at the evil that forced him into his decision to be turned and all the events that followed.

Seras walked up, looking a little concerned. "Are you sure you can handle it? It is a rather major mission to undertake."

Matthew nodded, a quiet determination showing on his face. "I can. The people inside need me to. The troops need me to." He paused. "'I' need me to. As Yoda said, 'Do or do not, there is no try.' I must, therefore I will."

Seras placed a hand on his shoulder. "Be careful, ok?"

Matt turned his head to look at her, and smiled. 'That's the first time she's touched me since…' "Of course. You too. See you in a while." He started forward towards Fargason and Johnson. He was already ready to go, so better to get moving now while he still had his nerve. "Sir."

Fargason turned to see him. "Are you ready, Jemeth?"

"Yes, sir. With your permission, I will enter the building and start for the second conference room. From the looks of things, I should be in position to strike in about three minutes, if I move quietly. I'll probably wait to fire until I'm in position to guard the main conference room."

"All right, then. Wait for Johnson's team to be ready. You'll enter together, and he will hold off his attack until you fire. Good luck."

"Thank you, sir." He gave Fargason a salute, waited for the reply, then started for the building. On the way, he reached back and activated the pack's ammo dispensers. Two rounds appeared at his hips. He grabbed a shot filled round and loaded it into the Valkyrie. He didn't know how much recoil the cannon would have, which was the main reason he would wait until he was in position to fire. Then, he reached to his side, grabbed the Walther, and cycled its slide. Johnson's team assembled behind him, moving almost as quietly as he did. The front doors were already unlocked, so he quietly slipped through them and into the hotel.

The inside lights were still on, and the lobby visibly showed its markings of struggle. Tables and chairs overturned, magazine racks shoved over, planters in disarray. Johnson came up beside him, and Seras beyond Johnson. They exchanged nods. Signs of struggle, blood, but no bodies anywhere. That meant some of the human population of the hotel was undoubtedly turned. It was too late for them, but with all hope they would save the others. The team continued through the lobby toward the side of the hotel. Broken glass from fallen pictures covered the floor, and other wood chairs lie broken further down the hall. One looked to be broken into a crude steak. Whoever had wielded it gave a valiant effort, but the blood nearby showed they had failed.

The first conference room they passed held the hostages. The doors were sealed tight. Matthew continued on to the second one. He stopped, turned around, and started counting down with his fingers. 'Five, four, three, two, one…' He balled his fist, pulled down hard, and gave as hard a side kick as he could to the door, right where the doorknobs sat. The double doors flew open, and Matthew charged.

How many ghouls and their exact position didn't matter to Matthew. All he cared about was getting into position. Tables and chairs had been overturned into crude barricades, but they would have only stopped a human. He simply leapt over them and wove past the still unmoving ghouls. He saw the door to the other conference room. It was closed, but it wasn't boarded shut. Whoever had put these ghouls here intended for them to break in on any team moving to save the hostages.

Matthew landed in front of the door and set his stance. The ghouls were finally moving, slowly hobbling toward him. Matthew wasn't sure what they would do to him, but he had no desire to find out. He brought the cannon to his shoulder and pulled the trigger.

With a deafening report and shoulder breaking recoil, Valkyrie coughed its silver-lead shot into the room. Several ghouls in an arc before him fell to ash and pieces. He gave a quick glance at his shoulder. Seeing it was still attached, he gave a thoughtful, "Hmm." Seemed his vampire abilities had more uses than he would've allowed himself to guess. He loaded a slug round, took aim at another line of ghouls, and fired. Watching the round pass through the ghouls… and through the far wall… he was glad the others were behind him.

Third round, third group of ghouls down. He figured about 15 of the lot were silenced, with another 10 damaged. The cannon's firepower was definitely not in question. Though fire rate left something to be desired. He fired the cannon a fourth time, taking out another several ghouls and splitting one of the barricade tables in half.

As he started for his fifth shell, a pair of ghouls finally reached him and moved in. His hand changed course, yanking the Walther out of is holster and firing several rounds at the approaching ghouls. Both fell. Thankful for the whim that had him bring the pistol, he stuffed the Walther back into its holster and grabbed that fifth round.

It took ten rounds, but 90 of the ghouls in the second conference room were silenced. He grabbed the Walther again and silenced the few remaining. It was done… He holstered the pistol and paused in a moment of silence. Slinging Valkyrie under his left arm, and hearing no gunfire from the room behind him, Matthew started for the door.

As he walked down the hall, he saw a group of figures leave the room ahead of him. It was the rescue team, escorting a group of twenty-five scared innocents to safety. Matthew smiled. All had made it, both among the rescuers and the rescuees. Seras has been bringing up the rear, but seeing Matthew she broke rank and jogged over to him. "Matthew! You're all right!"

He suddenly realized he'd never actually checked himself. Looking down and around, he made sure he was still in one piece. "Yeah, it seems so. Good to see you're ok too."

Seras shrugged. "Not too many ghouls where we were. Heard some rather loud gunfire where you were, though."

He nodded. "Yeah. Gotta hand it to Walter, though, he makes some damn fine weaponry." He rubbed his left shoulder with his right hand. "Hurts like a bitch to shoot, but works great."

"Well, the mission is complete. Alucard got the vampire."

Matt looked at her. "Really? Good."

"Yeah. Complained that it was too easy, too."

That got a chuckle from Matt. "I take it that's common." Seras nodded. "Oooh Kaay. Anyway. So are we sprung?"

"Sprung… Oh, can we leave? Yes. We can head back to base."

Matt gestured to a nearby transport. "Shall we go?"

The next morning, Matthew hopped out of bed with a new conviction. Today he would be using the internet again. He had to get in touch with his folks. There was no telling how difficult Sir Integra would be about it, but with the dreams he'd been having the last couple nights… If he didn't hear from his family soon there was a good chance he'd be pretty damn worthless to Integra's precious organization. After what he'd done for them last night… he gave his shoulder a rub as it remembered Valkyrie's recoil… if she still felt he had to prove himself he was going to damn well ask her what the hell he had to do to prove it.

Yeah. He was starting to feel a little bitter about it.

He grabbed his Hellsing jacket, making damned sure the coat of arms was fully visible on his check. For better or worse, he was a part of this organization. Most of the others treated him as such. It was time he got that same treatment from a certain other member. He started out of his room and through the dark stone corridors of the Hellsing facility.

Matthew walked up the various flights of stairs, not pausing on his way to Sir Integra's office. He was certain she already knew he was coming. They'd just finished a major mission, so it was logical he'd try again. That and the cameras she had to have position around the mansion. He approached and knocked the heavy wood doors to her office. "Enter," came the reply from the far side of the door. Matthew pushed against the door and entered.

Her office was the same as the last time he'd been here. Bookshelves, a large window mostly covered by a heavy drape, a large wood desk with various décor and lamp. Behind sat Integra Hellsing, wearing her usual dark green business type suit and blue neck scarf held by a silver cross. Her tanned face was bracketed with long blonde hair, and a pair of blue eyes stared from behind her glasses with that same cool and steel expression he'd come to expect. The only change from the last time was Matt. This time, he had the same 'all business' expression she had, with no lack of confidence showing through.

His first time actually speaking with her was after he'd arrived and first recovered. He'd probably gotten permission for those first couple e-mails because of how frightened he'd been. Not that he was kicking himself in the teeth for how he was; he was fully justified in how he'd felt. The second time he was still unsure of himself, and hadn't earned enough trust to be given extra liberties. Now, he knew what he wanted and wouldn't leave until he got it. "What can I do for you, Mr. Jemeth?" she asked, once against getting straight to the point.

His reply was as profession as her question had been. "Sir Integra, I request permission to access the internet on a regular basis."

Integra leaned back in her chair. Each time she had paused a moment before replying, and each time the reply had been a little different. First time she'd spoken with him about where he'd found himself. Second time was more about how he hadn't proven his worth. This time… "I've heard all the reports of the last mission. You did a fine job, but I still do not see how your actions were any different from what Victoria could accomplish."

Just a month ago, that comment would have made Matthew slump his shoulders in defeat. Now, he was conflicted. A big part of him wanted to explode at her. But the rest of him was above that. His only physical reaction was a slight squint of his eyes. "Permission to speak freely."

A new reply for him. If the change had surprised her, she didn't show it. "Granted."

He chose his words carefully, and when he spoke he kept his tone neutral. Getting angry wouldn't solve anything, he reminded himself again. "You're right. My abilities are very similar to Seras's. In ways, they're inferior to Seras's. But because I was there and was ready and able to do what I did, we walked away with twenty-five hostages and an intact rescue team. Could we have still pulled that off with me not there and Seras doing what I did? There's every chance. But with me around, even if I'm just another Seras, the troops will have that much better a chance of having everyone come home every time."

Integra thought on that for a moment. She probably knew that already, of course. She wasn't a stupid woman. It could've been, Matthew thought, that she was testing him. She wanted to see if he would stand up for himself and what he wanted. If that was the case, he understood the reasons why. Looking very closely, Matthew thought he could see the slightest bit of a smile cross her features. Finally, she replied. "Granted. Your access will be restored. Is that all?"

He bowed his head. "Yes. Thank you, Sir Integra." He turned and started for the door, quickly discovering it was impossible to keep the smile from his face.


	6. Chapter 6

All the computer cables were sitting where they needed to be. The only connection waiting to be made up connected the cable modem to the wall. He still had the access codes, and the computer itself had suffered no damage since his arrival. He just had to plug in the computer… But why couldn't he get his hand to do it?

It was nerves. He knew more than enough time had passed, and he'd probably have at least a couple messages waiting for them. He was even pretty sure what they would say. But still… he was nervous. He tried to put it aside, and forces his hand to make up the connection.

Slipping into the chair, he spent a couple minutes in system configurations coaxing his computer to accept data through the cable modem again. Once again he debated upgrading from Windows ME… and once again he decided against it. Hey, if nothing else he could gloat about having the only working copy of the OS on the planet.

A reset or two later, the computer read a signal. He pulled up Outlook and checked his e-mail. The junk box grew to staggering proportions, while a precious few came to his in-box. Of those few, two stood out. One was from his father, the other from his girlfriend Akira. He debated on which one to open first. He first thought of opening the one that made him less nervous… but that was thrown out the window quickly. They BOTH made him nervous. His dad's had come in first. He read that one.

_Hello son,_

_It is good to know you're alive. I'd been getting worried. I'd heard no word from you and no one knew where you were. (I would say it's good to know you're all right, but from what you wrote in your last e-mail, things seem hardly "all right".)_

_I've passed word to the others, though I downplayed exactly what happened. I'm sure that no one there wants knowledge of that organization passed far. I'll leave it to you to pass along. Your mother doesn't have internet access at the moment, but she sends her concern and love. Your sister as well._

_And of course you'll be welcomed home. No matter what, you will always be my son and I will love you. Never question that._

_Write back if you can. I'll await your reply._

_Love,_

_Dad_

Matt paused a moment, letting the words sink in. 'You'll be welcomed home…' That's what he needed to hear the most. If this crazy nightmare he'd found himself in ever ended, he'd want to go home fast. He hit 'reply' and started typing.

_Hi Dad,_

_Finally got permission to use e-mail on a regular basis. Good thing, too. I've really needed to talk to you about recent events._

_First off, I'm still ok. At least, physically. The missions I've been sent on weren't easy, but I somehow managed to escape harm._

_Mentally, on the other hand, all is not well. For one thing, I've undergone some pretty major changes these last few weeks. I managed to borrow a digital camera a while back and snapped a picture of myself. The only noticeable change is my now red eyes. I'll send it along, just in case you're curious._

_The most important thing I had to talk to you about pertains to the missions I've had to do. I'll cut to the point: I've had to kill. Though to quote Arnold Schwarzenegger, "They were all bad." Vampires and ghouls. (What you become if a vampire sucks all your blood out.) Still, to do my job has required me to forget most of the gun safety training you've given me… and I didn't even think a single thought against it until after the fact… And I just realized… I never did regret what I had to do after the most recent mission… Though in that case I was holding back ghouls so another team could rescue a whole flock of hostages._

_I need to hear from you that its all right, that I haven't become some evil demonic creature, either in what I've become or in what I've had to do._

_I've gotta stop writing… This is getting far too depressing…_

_Write back soon, ok?_

_Love,_

_Matt_

He took a moment to reread the message. He already knew what his father's reply would be, but he still needed to hear it from him. Attaching the picture he'd taken, he sent the message off. Next came Akira's message.

_Hola, mi amor,_

_Just heard from your dad… It's unbelievable what's happened to you._

_I've been thinking about you a lot, and missing you greatly. Please tell me you're ok and that you're coming home soon. I need to see you, to feel you holding me in your arms._

_Who knows, maybe you'll turn me? Then we could spend eternity together._

_I'll keep this short and wait for your reply._

_Love,_

_Tu Novia_

Short and sweet with some Spanish thrown in, exactly what he would expect from Akira. However, he had no choice but to sigh. He knew Akira well, and had feared she would suggest him turning her into a vampire. He started wondering what he was going to write to her… He hit 'reply' and slowly started typing.

_Hey Akira,_

_First, I need to apologize. I'm not coming home, at least not yet. They'll never let me go so long as our mission is not complete. Maybe even after that._

_Though I wish I could come home, hold you in my arms again. It's lonely here. I've only got one friend. (More later.)_

_You need to drop the idea of me turning you. I know that eternal life, extra strength, and whatnot might seem like great pros, but they don't counter the cons. I don't know if I can actually still eat or not. It may be that blood is the only thing I can intake. Believe me, drinking blood is not fun. I don't think I can go outside in the daylight. (No one has told me one way or the other.) So, unless some miracle happens, no more sunsets for me. Akira, you just don't know… just __can't__ know how bad it is. All of a sudden, I'm a demonic creature of the night (according to popular belief) and my job is to kill other demonic creatures of the night._

_To make things worse, I can no longer tough anything made of silver or mercury, so I can't wear the ring you gave me anymore. That or the necklace I made for me. I'd wear the key, since its stainless steel, but with the missions I do I'm afraid I'd loose it._

_Aki, I'm not going to tell you to go find someone else to be with. Just know that I may never be allowed to come home, and that this may be the closest we will ever get for the rest of our lives. I could be wrong. I hope I'm wrong… One of these days I might be let go, so long as I check in. I'll be there holding you as soon as I can get there._

_A request, and a serious one at that: never, ever mention the idea of me turning you again. I wouldn't wish this on someone I hated, let alone someone I love. I still don't know the extent to which the 'vampire instinct' will affect me, so I don't know what I'll do if pushed over the edge of my control._

_Write back, ok? Let me know you're still ok._

_Love,_

_Matt_

This time he didn't check the message. He just sent it. Some parts of it were, admittedly, blunt, and he didn't want to be tempted to change it. Pulling himself to his feet, he took a couple steps over and flopped onto the bed. He knew what his mind was about to do to him, and it was always better to be horizontal when that happened.

Wait… Matthew sat up and looked at the door. 'Me plus depressed equals… Wait for it…' There was a knock at the door. "Come in," he called as he fell back to lie down. As expected, Seras entered. Without a word, she walked into the room and sat in her usual chair, then looked at him. "You want to know what's wrong," he stated. Seras nodded. "I'd rather not talk about it quite yet, if that's ok." He looked over, a slightly scrutinizing look in his eyes. "Why don't you just look into my head and find out yourself?"

Seras finally spoke. "I feel that's an invasion of privacy. Alucard might be fine with it, but I'm not. I'll pay attention to how you're feeling, but that's all."

Matthew smiled some. "Thanks, Seras. You know, you do so much for me, and I do so little for you. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Seras smiled back. "Yes, I believe there is. I need to do some investigation on some leads we've been getting. Mind tagging along? I could use the company."

Matthew sat up on the bed and placed his feet on the floor. "And I could use the fresh air. Certainly. When are we heading out? Tonight?"

Seras shook her head. "No, I was thinking more like now."

Matthew looked confused. "Now?"

She nodded. "Yes, now. Why?"

Matthew paused a moment, checking his watch then looking back at Seras. "Umm… It's noon."

Seras's head tilted slightly to the left. "Yes, so?"

"It's day."

Now she lifted an eyebrow. "And what's that got to do with anything?"

He was starting to look a little sheepish, as if he knew he were talking himself between a rock and a hard place. "Umm… We're vampires. I thought daylight and vampires didn't mix."

Seras chuckled at that. "And wherever did you get an idea like that?"

Now he sounded sheepish too. "Popular culture…"

And now Seras smiled big. "And when has popular culture ever been right?"

"Well… they got the whole silver thing right…" His face relaxed a bit. He stood up from the bed. "So this means we could watch a sunset if we wanted, right?"

"Yes, why?"

Matthew stood still for a moment, then looked toward the ceiling shaking his finger upwards. In a mock accusing tone, he said, "You got lucky this time."

Seras gave him a look suggesting he'd just grown another head. "Huh?"

He looked back at his and let his face go back to normal. "Uhh… I'll tell you later. Let's go. Well, after I grab a different jacket. Can't exactly wear one with the Hellsing logo on it, right?" Seras nodded, and Matthew tossed his denim/fabric jacket onto the bed. He went to the closet and grabbed his black leather jacket given to him by his uncle the previous year. He put it on over his green t-shirt and turned to Seras. "How's this?"

She nodded. "Looks good. It'll work well. Do you have any sunglasses?"

\Matthew opened his mouth to say he did, but then stopped. After a moment, he spoke again. "Well… not anymore. What I had was designed more for use over normal glasses, and I can't really wear those anymore."

Seras sighed. "All right. Meet me in the equipment room in ten minutes. I need to get changed into something less conspicuous." Matthew nodded, and the two left the room.

Ten minutes later, Seras joined Matthew in the equipment room. She'd changed to a white sweatshirt with a red fabric jacket and black jeans with a red beret on her head. A pair of red-lensed sunglasses hung from the sweatshirt, completing the outfit. Except for the red eyes, she looked like a normal person. "Well, then. Let's find you some sunglasses, yes?" She quickly looked through Hellsing's supplies of sunglasses, finding a pair that had large enough lenses to cover his eyes but were small enough to look like he wasn't hiding anything. "Now that looks good. Check it out." Matthew looked into a nearby mirror. The dark sunglasses really did match the rest of his outfit.

He turned to Seras, lifting the sunglasses up over his eyes. "Thanks. And might I say that you look good too."

She smiled. "Thanks. We should get going."

"All righty then." Matthew smiled. "Well, if nothing else, this little excursion will allow me to exercise my British accent," he said, testing out said accent.

Seras chuckled. "Well, you probably won't fool many locals, but with some work it would be pretty good." She gestured for the door. "Shall we?"

"Certainly," Matt replied in the accent. In his normal voice, he continued, "We gonna walk, or drive?"

"We'll drive. We can borrow a car from the Hellsing motorpool. Let's go."

Seras led the way to the garage, checking out a plain, unmarked sedan for their use. As they drove down the streets of London, Matt's face was nearly plastered to the window. He found himself unable to keep a huge grin from his face. Seras managed a quick look over his way, then looked back to the road. "What's got you in such a good mood?"

He turned to look at her. "You have ended my crisis of faith. I thank you, Seras."

"All right… Well, we're getting close to where the reports originated from. Shall we walk?"

"Sure." Seras brought the car into a parking lot and to a stop. The two exited, locking the doors behind them. "So," he said, back in the accent, "shall we head that way?" He pointed in a direction.

"That should work." After a couple minutes of walking, Seras said they were at a pretty good steak-out point. She pointed to a coffee house nearby, and the two headed in. Seras found a table near the window and started for it. Matthew followed for a moment, but stopped in his tracks as his eyes scanned over the menu. Seras stopped and looked back at him. "What is it, Matthew?"

In his surprise and glee, Matthew dropped the accent. "They have chai here."

"Chai?" she asked.

"Yes, chai. It's a tea drink my sister introduced me to a few years ago. They have it here. And not only is it chai, they can make hot spiced chai with milk." He started for the counter. "And I so need one right now, and I have money."

"Uh, Matthew? I don't know if we can drink it…"

"Well I'm gonna try it. Hang on." He made his order, and brought the hot drink back to the table where Seras sat. While he waited for the chai to cool down a bit, he looked back to Seras. "Have you tried to drink anything since being turned?" He kept his voice down a bit to keep their conversation private.

"Well, once. Though I was a little preoccupied at the time. I don't remember if I even drank any of it."

"What did you order?"

She looked down a bit, embarrassed. "Tomato juice."

Matt paused, a smile starting to form at the corners of his mouth. "How long had you been…?"

Now it was her turn to sound sheepish. "Maybe two weeks… Probably one."

Matt lightly chuckled. Back in the accent, he said, "Well, dear, that was a bloody stupid drink to order, wasn't it?"

Seras chuckled, all be it nervously. "My reaction exactly…"

Matt sighed, smiling. "Well, I'm going to try this, because I know I love it. Here goes." He brought the cup to his lips and took a small sip. It was still hot, but not enough to burn his tongue. He paused, relishing the flavor of the chai and remembering all the times he'd had it. He then took a larger sip, pausing again to enjoy the flavor. He set down the cup and smiled at Seras. "Mmmm."

"Good?"

He nodded. "Very. Want to try some?"

"Are you sure we can handle it?"

"Well," he said, "I haven't turned green yet, so I think we'll be ok. Try it." He smiled, took another gulp, and slid the cup over to Seras. Tentatively, she took the cup and raised it to her lips. She took a sip, smiled as she tasted the liquid, then took a larger gulp and passed it back to him.

"It's delicious. I can see why you like it."

"Want me to get you one?" He took the cup and raised it for another sip.

She raised her palm. "No, thank you. That was enough for me for now."

"Ok." He started to take another sip when he abruptly froze in place. His pupils dilated as his mind detected a source of danger nearby. He looked up at Seras. She'd felt it too. "Vampire," he muttered. Seras nodded. Matthew got up. Not wanting to waste any of the precious chai, he tossed the last gulp into his mouth, tossed the cup into a nearby trashcan, and followed Seras out of the building.

The man they had sensed continued down the sidewalk, oblivious that he was being followed. Still, Matt came up with an idea to help disguise them. He looked over at Seras. In his now improved British accent, he started talking, speaking of his various hobbies: writing, piano playing, etc. Seras caught on quickly, speaking to him in an American accent. She asked him about his hobbies, like how long he'd played piano, then responded with hobbies of her own, or at least those she'd enjoyed before being turned. If the vampire looked at them, he'd probably just see two new friends just talking about themselves. Not only would it, hopefully, work as disguise, but it was interesting learning about his master.

Eventually, the vampire they were tracking ducked into a house. Seras and Matthew passed it by, tracking the vampire until they were sure he was staying there. Back in his normal voice he spoke to Seras, "Yep, he's staying there. Looks like he's got friends. Can't tell how many."

She dropped her American accent. "I sense at least four in there, but possibly more. I'll check in." She grabbed a radio from under her jacket. "Victoria to base. Lock in on my location. Target vampire entered a private residence. Address is as follows." She read off the address to headquarters. "Get an observation team down here. There are at least four vampires and possibly more."

Fargason's voice came back over the radio. "Excellent work, Victoria. Return to base."

"Yes, sir. We're on our way." She stuffed the radio back into her jacket. "Come on. Let's see what plan they work up." Turning down a side street, Seras started leading the way back to the car.


	7. Chapter 7

Fargason's office was far different from Sir Integra's. It was better lit, for one thing. On his desk and on various shelves were pictures of family, friends, former squad members, and various trinkets he'd picked up during his life. There was a box on one shelf holding medals he'd been awarded in his time in the military. He sat at his desk, Seras and Matt standing before him. They'd just finished giving their report. Fargason nodded and replied. "It will take some time to work up an exact plan of action. We're piecing together our intel to have the best chance of success. For now, I'd recommend you get some rest. Whatever we do, it's more than likely you two will be on the mission. That is all." Seras's hand snapped up in a salute, quickly copied by Matthew. Fargason returned it, and the two vampires turned and left the room.

Seras and Matthew walked through the hallways of the building's ground floor. The green walls were comforting, compared to the usual bare concrete and rock of his usual décor. "Well," Matt commented, "that was fun." Almost immediately after, he followed that comment up with a yawn. "Wow… I am tired…"

Seras smiled. "Go get some sleep. We'll probably need it."

Matthew nodded. "Yeah… See ya."

They were passing by the stairs to the lower levels, so Matthew simply swung around the banister and started down. He reached his room quickly, shoving against the heavy metal door and found himself looking forward to a bit of shut eye…

…Matthew ran as fast as he could, hoping that only some of the fear he felt showed in his blue-green eyes. He ran through a dark hallway, lit by the occasional overhead spotlight. He stole a glance behind him. A creature with red eyes wearing his face ran behind him, long canine teeth showing from behind its upper lip. It hissed at him, slowly gaining on him. Suddenly, a pair of guns appeared in Matthew's hands. He twisted around, now running backwards. Yelling, he fired until both guns were empty. The creature kept coming, not even phased. Matthew threw the guns at the creature and turned to run forward again, but his vision turned to white…

He found himself strapped to a table, nearly blinded by a spotlight directly overhead. A figure slowly circled the table: the vampire form of himself. Matthew struggled against his bonds. "Let me go! Let me go, you bastard!" The light became less severe. He could see his captor. The vampire merely smirked and continued circling. Matthew threw all his strength into one bond, but it wasn't enough. The vampire suddenly closed the distance, holding his head right above Matthew's.

"You're loosing, Matthew."

He grabbed Matthew's head, snapped it to the side, and sank his fangs into Matthew's neck. Matthew yelled in pain and terror…

And awoke. He sat up quickly, filled with an intense thirst. He looked over to the table on which was a bucket of ice holding a bag of blood. Every fiber of his being wanted him to leap upon it and drink it down. 'No!' he yelled in his mind. He raised up his left hand and slapped his cheek. It had no effect; the thirst was still there and gaining more control over him. He slapped himself again, two times in rapid succession. Still no effect. Matthew was left with no choice. He brought his right arm up to his mouth and bit down hard.

He yelled at the sharp pain of his teeth piercing his flesh, but he didn't release his arm. He bit down even harder. Red oozed out from around his mouth, but he didn't drink any of it. That would only justify the thirst. He focused on the pain, latched onto the pain, and used it to clear his mind of the influence of the 'vampire instinct'. Soon, his mind was his again. He stood and walked to a nearby sink, washing out his mouth and rinsing off his arm. He looked at the damage he'd wroth; a pair of holes in his arm. He waited for the wounds to close before rinsing off his arm again and drying it.

He planted his hands on the edges of the sink, looking down at the drain. He couldn't bring himself to look up. He'd just come within inches of looking his self-control. His self-control was important to him. He wasn't a control freak, but he wanted… needed… to be in control of himself at all times. Especially now that he had the vampire instincts to keep at bay. His near loss of control, therefore, frightened him tremendously. He needed to figure out just what the hell had happened. Who better to talk to? "Matthew," he said to himself, "what the hell was that? Was it what I think it was?"

After a few moments, he pushed off from the sink and started slowly pacing across the room. "Yes… I'm loosing control… The vampire instinct is taking over…"

"I fought to get my brain back under control after my parents split up, and I'm damn well not going to loose it to these damned instincts. What have I done so far…"

"I've tried locking down my thoughts, keeping focused on what I need to be thinking about. That's what kept me sane during the split… What else can I do? This is too far from the realm of my experience!"

Suddenly, a British-accented voice entered his mind. 'I have an idea, if you don't mind.'

Matthew stopped. A quick look at the door told him he was still alone… "Seras? What are you doing in my mind?"

Seras's voice replied. 'Well, I could tell you were feeling… pretty bad.' Matt was thankful for the understatement. He didn't need to hear someone else say how bad his mental state was. 'I wanted to help, but figured you'd rather be alone for the moment. So, I chose this way.'

"Ok… But I thought you felt reading a mind was a violation of privacy."

'Yes, but I'm not exactly reading your mind. I'm listening to what you say, then projecting my thoughts into your mind.'

Matthew walked over to the bed and sat down. "Well, that works. So, you said you had an idea?"

'Yes,' Seras replied, her tone sobering a little. 'Drink the blood.'

Matthew's tone sobered too. "You knew that I haven't been."

'Yes, not since the second time. It's been a good several days at least.'

Matt sighed and collapsed onto the bed. "If I do, it'll only justify the instinct. Give it more influence over me."

'And if you don't, it will grow stronger and all that you are trying to do will fail.'

He closed his eyes. "It's hard. It still just feels… wrong. I could only convince myself it was ok for a short time, then I just couldn't bring myself to drink it."

'I know. I still have trouble myself. But you need to drink the blood, Matthew. Things will only get worse if you don't.'

He was silent for a long moment, letting everything work through his mind. After a long moment, he finally replied. "I'll find a way. I don't know how, but I'll find a way."

'Good,' Seras said, sounding a little relieved. 'I'm heading to Sir Integra's office to listen to the mission plans. Meet me there?'

"Sure. See you in a few." He opened his eyes and could feel it as Seras left his mind. He almost wished she would do that more often. With Akira over a thousand miles away, Seras's presence was soothing. 'Though I pray I get to see Akira again, soon.' Matthew got up and walked over to the bag of blood. 'I've got to drink it… I hate it, but I must.' Blanking his mind, he grabbed the bag, bit the tip if its drain tube off, and drank it down quickly. Suppressing a shudder, he threw the bag back into the bucket, rinsed out his mouth, and headed out.

Seras was waiting for him at the door to Sir Integra's office. She locked eyes with him as he approached, and he gave a nod to show he was ok… or at least closer to it than before. Accepting the answer, she opened the door and the two entered. Fargason was already there, showing a copy of the building's plans to Sir Integra and speaking of the plan they'd crafted. "There are two main entrances to the residence. It should be easy enough to hit both at once. Full squads for each entrance armed with everything they can carry. I'd like Victoria and Jemeth to accompany each team."

Sir Integra Wingates Hellsing considered the plan. "I believe Alucard should join this mission as well. With that many vampires around, his skills may be required."

"Well, Master, I didn't know you cared." The voice seemed to come from nowhere, but soon after a man appeared hanging from the ceiling, who moments after flipped over and dropped to the floor. He was taller than Matthew, probably around six feet. He wore a red trench coat and wide brimmed hat from which black hair hung. His mouth was in a smirk, showing off his long, pointed canines. Matthew could see he wore yellow sunglasses. Mirrored at that, which made it impossible to tell what his eyes were doing. The whole ensemble was kinda… creepy… "You actually want me to have some fun. It's been far too long."

"Oh, shut up, Alucard," Integra replied, with the slightest bit of a smile. She then went back to her professional poker face. "Do you have something to add to this session or not?"

"I do." He walked up to the desk. Seras walked up behind him and Matt followed. "You should send myself, Seras Victoria, and young Jemeth. No one else."

"And why should I do that?"

"Because we'll be walking into a trap." He almost sounded like he liked the idea.

Integra leaned back in her chair. "How do you know?"

Alucard smirked. "You don't live as long as I have without being able to sense a simple trap. The three of us will be able to handle them and gather the information we'll need to know what they were planning."

For a moment, Integra remained silent, considering the plan. "Fine. Mission approved. Be ready to head out in one hour." She looked to Matthew. "Jemeth, Walter said he needed to talk with you. Head to the armory."

He bowed his head. "Yes, Sir Integra." Matthew started out of Sir Integra's office. Alucard remained behind. Seras watched after him for a moment, then followed Matthew from the room. As they walked downstairs to the armory, Matthew was a little surprised how much the upcoming mission had cleared his head. Either he was changing more than he realized, or he was more capable of combat than he'd thought he was. Walter stood waiting for them.

"Ah, Mr. Jemeth. Ms. Victoria. I trust you are ready for the night's mission."

Matthew nodded. "We are. Sir Integra said you needed to see me?"

"Yes." Walter grabbed a box and set it on the table. "Your new backup pistols." He opened the case. Inside laid two Browning High-Power semi-automatic pistols. Along with them were a holster belt and eight magazines. "You'll note some extra equipment on the belt towards the back." Matt looked at the belt, noting a pair of odd looking rails. "Those rails connect to the slides of your brownings, allowing you to cycle them in unison easily. Just snap them in the push downward." Matt tested snapping one Browning into a rail and pulling it back out. He nodded his approval. "I've made a couple slight changes from your request. First, there seems to be a shortage of seventeen round magazines, at least on the market. Therefore, I was forced to use your alternate request of thirteen round magazines. Also, due to the mission, your loadout had been altered. All eight magazines carry anti-vampire ammunition, and your Valkyrie's shot ammunition has been replaced with pure silver shot. Unfortunately, the new shot is rather experimental. I'm not sure how well it will work against vampires. Do tell me after this mission, will you? The slugs are the same as before; there was not enough time to replace them with silver."

"That's fine, Walter. All this is great, really. Besides, seventeen rounds in a magazine might be too much. I'd probably just spray my fire and not hit anything." He put on the belt and loaded six magazines into it. The last two he loaded into the brownings, which he then slid into their holsters. He grabbed Valkyrie, noting a nylon strap added to its shoulder stock. "Ah, new strap. I like." He slung the cannon from his left shoulder, and smiled at Walter. "Excellent, Walter. This is the best equipment I could ask for."

Walter chuckled. "Ah, but just wait until you see my next creation."

Matthew barked out a laugh. "I look forward to it, Walter." He turned to Seras. "Well, let's get ready to move, shall we?"

She nodded. If she'd noted the swing in his mood, she wasn't saying it. She already had her cannon and a back-up pistol strapped on. They started for the assembly area, making the trip in silence. Alucard was there waiting for them. Seras spoke first. "Matthew, this is Alucard. Alucard, you already know Matthew." Alucard simply nodded.

Matthew extended a hand. "Good to meet you." Alucard did not take Matthew's hand, simply smirking at him. After a moment of waiting Matthew withdrew the hand and stuffed it in his jacket pocket.

Finally, Alucard spoke. "The Police Girl seems to think highly of you. It will be interesting to see how well you fight. If you show the same stiff spine you showed when my master called you worthless, maybe I won't have to pull you out of a firefight too often?"

Matthew raised an eyebrow. 'How'd he know?' he thought. 'Secret as this organization is, word seems to travel pretty fast through it.'

Alucard spoke, as if replying to his thoughts. "I was watching from the shadows. I was curious if you would stand your ground or topple before my master."

'Great… He must be telepathic too…' Matt's mind replied. Alucard gave what must have been his trademark smirk. "Well, that explains where Seras got it from. So, what's our plan?"

"Our primary target is the master vampire in the building's main library. He is mine. There are two studies flanking it where his fledglings are conducting research in support of his. They will be for you two." He smirked again. "Don't take too long. I'll finish them off for you."

"I think we can handle it, Alucard," Seras replied. "Let's get moving so we can get this over with."

"I will meet you there." Alucard vanished.

Matthew suppressed a shudder. "Does he do that a lot?"

"What? Smirk or vanish into thin air?"

He thought a moment. "Umm… Both."

"Yes, a lot." She looked toward the spot where he had stood, her voice becoming a little distant. "He's not human, you know."

"If I didn't before, I do now." He gestured to a waiting transport. "Let's go."


	8. Chapter 8

Matthew wasn't sure if taking the normal Hellsing transport had been the best of ideas. The loud rumble of its diesel engine would give away their arrival far in advance. But his thoughts jumped elsewhere soon after as he remembered something else he wanted to ask about. "Hey, Seras. I just remembered something I wanted to ask."

Seras snapped out of her trance. "Yeah? What is that?"

"I've been thinking about how long it took for all the vampire enhancements to take form. Did it take long for your eyes and muscles to improve?"

She shook her head. "No, it pretty much happened overnight."

"Hmm…" He thought for a moment. "The night you turned me. How long had it been since you'd had any blood before then?"

She paused. Either she was surprised he was bringing that night up, or she still wasn't completely past what she'd done. "About a week, maybe a little longer."

Matthew nodded. "Yep, that might be it. You were in a weakened state when you turned me, so it must have taken longer for your blood to take full effect."

Seras was silent for a time, probably debating over the best answer. "I'm sorry."

He held up a hand to stop her. "Don't. You've got nothing to apologize for. I was just curious what was taking me so long. Now, I won't worry. As much, at least."

With that thought no longer hanging over him, he could continue worrying about the transport's noisy engine. After a while longer, he spoke up about it. Seras agreed with his thoughts, so the left the transport a few blocks away and went the rest of the distance on foot. Luckily there weren't many people out at that hour, so the artillery didn't draw any attention.

Alucard sat on the steps to the residence as Matthew and Seras walked up. It was pretty typical; narrow, long, with at least a couple stories. The windows were dark. "There is no need for silence," he said. "They know we are here."

Matthew shrugged. "Eh, it seemed like a good idea at the time. In through the front door?"

Alucard grinned. "Yes. I hope this 'master' vampire actually poses a challenge. It's been so long since I've had a real fight." The word 'master' had been nearly drowning with sarcasm. "In the name of God," he said, in keeping with Hellsing tradition, "impure souls of the living dead shall be banished into eternal damnation. Amen." With no further word, he turned and started in, reaching into his trench coat for a pair of huge pistols, one nickel plated and one black.

The place was dark inside as well. Hallways stretched into the blackness, with few details visible. Some furniture sat around, but all the doors in the place were closed. He wasn't sure where the stairs were. Alucard started down the main hall for the back of the building. Seras moved to the right, claiming the double doors on that side of the hall.

That left the left study for Matthew. He grabbed both brownings, snapped them into the belt rails, and cycled them both. He gently lowered the hammers on each pistol so they wouldn't go off in their holsters. Sliding them back into the belt, he brought Valkyrie up and loaded a shot cartridge into it. He held it to his shoulder, approached the door, and gave it a hard side kick where the double doors met. It flew open, and Matthew rushed in. Several bookcases lined the walls, with a latter allowing access to the higher ones. A single desk lit by a lamp sat in the center of the room. Behind it a vampire stood, a large book in hand and seemingly unimpressed at the entrance. Bringing Valkyrie to bear, he shouted, "Freeze! Don't move!" If Matthew could get any information out of this vampire, he would.

The vampire lazily closed his book and set it down, still unimpressed. He looked at Matthew. "Ah, you must be one of Hellsing's pets. I'll deal with you, then go help the others with Alucard. I might even have some fun tonight." He drew a small pistol from under his coat.

"Put the weapon down or I will fire!" The vampire sneered and pointed the pistol at Matthew. "I warned you." He fired. Unfortunately, with the loaded shell Valkyrie was pretty much a sawn-off shotgun. The silver shot spread too much before reaching the vampire. While some of it hit, it didn't do damage in the right place to drop him.

"Is that the best you've got?" The vampire fired. Matthew flung himself to the side, but felt a bullet slice against his left flank. He grabbed the right mounted browning, pulled it out, and thumbed back the hammer. He landed on his feet, aimed, and let loose a volley of three bullets. All hit the target in the chest. The mercury released, and a moment later the vampire lay on the ground, a pile of ash.

He drew in a breath and slowly released it. That had to be luck… From then on, he would have to make his own luck. He lowered the browning's hammer and slid it back into its holster. It was certainly proving its value quickly. He loaded a slug round into Valkyrie. Suddenly, there was movement above him. Matthew snapped up his aim and fired, catching a second vampire square in the stomach in mid drop and launching him into the far wall. He had a fair sized hole in his stomach, but he wasn't dead. The browning came out again, sending another volley at the vampire before he could get up. He stayed down as a pile of ash.

Reholstering the browning, he reached back for another slug round when he suddenly felt something beside him. Without hesitation, he swung Valkyrie's shoulder stock into the figure, a vampress. She was knocked back to the floor, but not far enough away. No time to reload, he slid Valkyrie along his leg to the floor and reached for his pistols. The vampress, armed with a pair of knives, advanced quickly. Matthew tried to fall back, but got slashed across his chest and impaled in the arm for his trouble. His unharmed right arm brought one browning up and pulled the trigger, sending a mercury charged silver bullet into the vampress's head. She fell to ashes.

Time to assess damage. Carefully reholstering his brownings, he pulled the thankfully steel knife from his arm and pulled back the fabric of the sleeve. The puncture wound was already closing, but for the moment it still oozed red. He stared at it, thinking, 'Hmm… I wonder what I taste like?' He brought his arm up to his mouth and gave it a fast lick. After a moment to consider the flavor, his reaction was, "Meh."

He redrew the right browning and punched its magazine release. The empty magazine clattered to the floor. Stuffing in a new magazine, he flipped the slide release, allowing the slide to shoot forward and lock into place. Lowering its hammer, he reholstered it.

A feeling entered his mind… 'Seras is in trouble…' He tried to confirm, but a new voice entered his mind.

It was Alucard. 'Young Jemeth, your master is in trouble. Perhaps you should help her?'

There was no further delay. Matthew ran, picking Valkyrie up from the floor and shoving his way through the door. He reloaded Valkyrie with another slug round, then lowered his right shoulder as he crossed the hall and said a rather violent 'hello' to the other double doors. The doors nearly exploded with the force he put into them. He brought Valkyire around in front of him. There, on the floor, lay Seras with a vampire above her. Matthew yelled to distract the vampire, aimed, and fired. The slug caught the vampire's middle and sent him flying across the room. Matthew grabbed the right browning, thumbed its hammer, and fired three shots. One missed, the others hit. The first vampire was down.

He pulled Valkyrie off his shoulder and slid it onto a nearby table, knowing there'd be no time to reload. He grabbed the second browning, thumbed its hammer, and brought both pistols to bear on a vampire leaping down from the upper level of the study. He fired three rounds from each. The first two missed, but the last four connected. The last vampire fell in a pile of ash. Matthew gave a quick look around the room, then slid the pistol in his right browning into its holster. He jogged over to Seras, who was pulling herself to her feet. "You ok?"

"Yeah," she said. "I got the first vampire, but the second hit me from behind before I could react…" Her eyes went wide. "Look out!"

Matthew spun around, bringing his still out left browning to bear. The vampire was almost upon him…

…And was suddenly launched across the room. It slammed into the wall, ash. Imbedded in the wall was a sword with the strangest grip he'd ever seen. It was more like a handle than a grip. Seras screamed. Matthew turned and understood why.

There stood the tallest man he'd ever seen in his life; at least seven feet tall. He had dark tanned skin and short light blonde hair with piercing green eyes staring out from a pair of glasses and a scar along his left cheek. He wore a long trench coat and had a huge silver cross hanging from his neck. His white gloves had writing on them, but Matthew couldn't read it. Saying he had an imposing figure would've been an understatement. Matthew snatched up his other browning and pointed both at him. If Seras was getting freaked, then there was something to fear from this man.

He had two more swords out, but held them defensively. Though something told Matthew he wasn't used to that stance. "That could've been you, vampire," he said with a Scottish accent, "and it still could be before this night is over. I've got some information for ya, and much as I'd rather silence ya where you stand, I've got my orders." He set one sword on the table before him, then reached into his trench coat and pulled out an envelope. Setting it on the table, he grabbed his sword, slipped it into the trench coat, and walked to the far wall where his other weapon still stuck. "That'll give ya all ya should need to know. If ya agree with what it says, it also shows how to contact us." He grabbed the sword from the wall. "If not, I'll deal with it myself." With that, he left the room.

Matthew's guns tracked him as he left the room, then waited at the door for several moments before he lowered them and turned back to Seras. She had her hand to her throat, and looked like she'd just seen a ghost… Hell, after the whole being a vampire and killing ghouls thing, Matthew wouldn't be at all surprised if they had to fight a ghost next week! To try and pull her back to the here and now, he spoke. "Ok, who was that guy?"

Weakly, she replied, "Paladin Alexander Anderson of the Iscariot organization, Vatican special section thirteen."

Now he pointed his thumb over his shoulder at the door. "And I take is that's not really his usual thing."

"It's not."

Matthew walked over to the envelope. He carefully grabbed it, made sure it was unlikely a bomb, and stuffed it into his jacket. "Well, we'll worry about him later." Gunfire rang from another part of the building. Alucard was still in battle… and Matthew was getting curious. He smiled at Seras, then grabbed Valkyrie and started for the door. Seras ran after him.

Valkyrie hung from his shoulder and both brownings were holstered as he passed through the destroyed door to the library. It was like the studies, only larger. And the combat within was certainly more… energetic. Alucard stood in the center of the room, holding his large nickel-plated pistol. Now having a better look at it, Matthew noted it looked like a casull.

The other vampire had a pair of uzis, and zipped across the room faster than Matthew could track, avoiding Alucard's fire while sending bursts of his own.

Alucard was about as impressed as the first vampire Matthew had faced. No… worse than that. He looked… bored? "Come on!" Alucard yelled. "I've dealt with this trick before! Show me something new before I just silence you out of spite!"

"I'm just getting warmed up!" the vampire replied. He coiled his legs, apparently getting ready to zip directly past Alucard and slap him or something. He pushed off, quickly crossing the gap between them.

Alucard simply drew his black pistol, which was even larger than the nickel-plated one. He waited for the vampire to hit point-blank range and fired. His opponent found himself disarmed… literally. Alucard watched for a moment, but as the other grew a look of fear and desperation, Alucard simply shot him through the skull. He gave a vexing sigh as the supposed master fell to ash. "Some 'master'," he said. Shaking his head, he walked off through the nearest wall.

Matthew looked to Seras. "Wow… He's good."

"That's an understatement. You should see him at full power," she replied. Watching Alucard fight seemed to pull Seras back from her vapor lock.

"Full power?" He lightly shuddered. "I'm not sure I want to know… Anyway," he said, trying to change the subject, "I think we've done enough damage around here. You all right?"

"I will be. Let's move."

Thirty minutes and another noisy transport ride later, they arrived back at the Hellsing headquarters. They'd passed the clean-up teams on the way, heading out to clear the area and make sure no one knew the truth of what had happened there. They dropped off their weapons on the armory and went back to Fargason's office to give their report. He gave them the overall mission results. "Final tally shows all targets were silenced. Our teams are currently looking over the master vampire's notes and trying to determine what he was up to. The Iscariot information is also being gone over, but we don't expect any results for a day or two. For now, get some rest. You've earned it."

"Thank you, sir," Seras replied. Matthew nodded and repeated her. Exchanging salutes with Fargason, the two vampires left the room and started down the corridor.

"A question, if I may," Matthew began. Seras gestured for him to continue. "What's with that Alexander guy? Why'd he freak you out so much?"

"I've fought him before. Well, more accurately, he's attacked me before and Alucard saved me. I got a sword through my neck for my trouble the first time." She rocked her head back to show the scar.

"Ouch…" They made the turn onto the stairs, starting for the lower levels.

"You can say that again. His swords are blessed, so they tend to hurt a great deal. I think that one was silver plated, else it wouldn't have been so effective against that one vampire."

"Yeah." Something in his mind clicked. "Wait… Alucard fought him, and he's still alive?"

"That's the thing. It seems that Alexander cannot die. He is a human regenerator. He can recover body parts like Alucard can, all be it not as quickly in some cases. Considering his condition now, it definitely seems like he can regrow lost limbs."

"Ack… Let's hope we don't have to fight him anytime soon."

Seras sighed. "We can only hope… Anyway, what are your plans for the night?"

Matthew yawned. "Bed. Lost a good amount of rest to that nightmare, so I'm really in need of some sleep."

Seras smiled. "Pleasant dreams, then. I'll see you in the morning."

"Thanks." He turned, starting toward his room. As he entered, he stripped the damaged jacket and tossed it onto a nearby chair. He'd have to get it repaired soon. Slipping off his shoes, he flopped onto his bed and was asleep in moments.


	9. Chapter 9

'Now what am I going to get for dad?'

Matt strode through one of London's malls. He hadn't caught its name on the way in, but it was close to his temporary dorm room so it really didn't matter. He was finishing up a study abroad program in England which would cover many of the classes he needed for his major. Doing this would let him relax later on. His work would earn him something like twelve or fifteen credit hours.

Still, it was almost over. The day after next he would be returning home. Having planned to pick up things for family and friends, but having delayed due to school, he went out that night with a good amount of money and a few ideas. 'Delayed fun stuff for school? Wow… I must need a vacation…' Luckily, he had found things for most of the people on his list.

His dad would be the hardest to shop for. Rarely did Matt get any idea on what he wanted. 'Well… Look for anything pertaining to ducks. Mallard Drakes if we can find them.' Across the hall was a store that showed some promise, so he started over.

He was interrupted by a scream. Snapping his head to look over his left shoulder, he saw a crowd of people running in his direction. He bounded to the wall, getting out of the way of the human stampede. '…the hell?' He couldn't see beyond the crowd to see what they were running from, but his curiosity would not be denied. Moving against the wall, he walked 'upstream' until the crowd had run past. He stepped out into the hall to see what was going on.

It was a standoff. About fifty feet up the hallway on the left side stood a group of police. Well… they looked more like soldiers than police, the exception being the young woman at the fore of the group who wore a police-style uniform. 'If you ignore the miniskirt.' Though he had to admit, she was quite pretty. On the right side of the hall stood a lone man. The man was yelling stuff about how they would never defeat him, how his master had given him powers greater than they could ever imagine. The woman seemed to be trying to draw on inner strength, saying the man would never leave this place.

Suddenly, the man opened fire. 'Shit!' Matthew thought as he ducked into the nearest shop. On the one hand, he wished he had a weapon to assist in the battle. On the other, he knew he should probably just stay out of this one. But he was still curious, and someone had to watch what happened. He moved along the wall to a window. Something broke down the far door, and a trio of what he could only think of as zombies broke into the room.

He saw the woman by the shop's door. She was taking aim with a pistol at one of the zombies. But the man was aiming at her. Without hesitation, Matt grabbed her and pulled her inside, the bullet meant to kill her striking the metal doorframe and spurting some silver colored liquid.

The woman looked back at him. "Thank you," she said in British accented English, "but you'd better get out of here." Matthew noted she had the strangest red eyes. He nodded to her, and she quickly ran back into the battle.

His instructions clear, he peered into the hall to make sure the man was fully occupied before he started running down the hall. Suddenly, something struck his right leg, back of the thigh, and sent him spinning to the floor. Pain blossomed, enlisting a yell and several curses. His eyes moved across the battle, but as they met the man's gaze everything seemed to freeze in place. He heard a deep voice booming in his mind as a tunnel of gray formed in his vision. "I would have let you leave, human, if you'd stayed out of this fight. But you saved that weakling vampire from her fate, and so you too must be silenced." At the end of the gray tunnel, he could see a blurry image of the man raising his pistol. There was a flash of light as his gun moved slightly from recoil, and then he fell apart in ash. Something tore into Matthew's chest, and he felt a new pain as it punctured a lung and nicked his heart. He tried to yell, but his voice had left him.

Somehow, Matthew managed to pull in a breath with his damaged remaining lung, and his injured heart kept going for a while longer. His eyes started to clear, and he could see the woman above him. In the corners of her features, he could see the fear and uncertainty of what she was going to do now. "Young man," she said, "I can't thank you enough for what you've done tonight, especially with what it has cost. I know you don't want to die tonight. You don't have to. You could come with me instead. It must be your choice."

He got another look at her… Those red eyes… and pointed fangs for canines… But how could it be? Vampires weren't real! He needed time to think. Time to determine the consequences of his choices. But time was the one thing he didn't have. The more basic of thoughts came up. The will to survive, the desire to protect his family, his friends, Akira. 'If there was one here, there's gotta be more of them…' He pooled his strength up and managed to speak. "Yes…"

She nodded solemnly. "Just remember that this was your choice, and that I'll be here to help you, ok?" All he could do was slowly nod. The young woman smiled lightly, as if reliving a memory. "This is where you're supposed to close your eyes." Matthew slowly shook his head. Whatever happened next, he wanted to see. The young woman gently moved Matthew's head to the side and bent down towards his neck…

Matt ended his mild groan as the pain in his neck subsided. The young woman got back up, her lips a shade redder than before. She pressed a fingernail into the bottom side of her arm and quickly sliced into her flesh. The small cut oozed red. "Now, you must drink this." Matthew didn't have the energy to argue. She lowered her arm to his mouth…

After a minute, she moved her arm away. "Just give it some time. You'll feel better in a moment." And he did. Gradually, he gained enough energy to pick up his head and survey the damage. He had a gaping hole in his chest, but it was strangely closing itself. Another hole further down in his leg was also sealing. He watched them curiously for a while, his mind still trying to grasp what was happening, but as it closed the young woman spoke again. "Can you stand?"

He looked up at her and weakly replied, "Yeah, I think so."

"Can you walk?"

He gave a very slight smile and a single chuckle, remembering something of his own past. "How far?"

The young woman helped Matthew to his feet, then wrapped her left arm around his waist to help support him as his leg finished healing. For stability, he set his arm on her shoulders. Slowly at first, but gradually faster as he gained energy as his body healed itself, the two started for the door. On the way, Matthew looked at a storefront window, the one he'd hidden in earlier. The lighting had caused a mirror effect. His wounds healed, only holes in his clothing gave signs to the damage. There were a pair of wounds in his neck, which still felt some residual pain. But the big change was his eyes. His formerly hazel eyes were now red. 'I don't know if I'll ever get used to those…'

Several soldiers looked at him as they passed. Part of him wanted to slink away and hide, but Seras looked at him with a look that said, 'It'll be ok,' and he calmed down. They passed through the glass doors to the dark entryway beyond. The parking lot was lit, the remaining vehicles sitting where they should. A helicopter sat in a clear section a distance away, its rotors stopped. And closer were a pair of boxy transport trucks, possibly armored personnel carriers.

In the center of the entryway stood a woman with very light colored hair dressed in a dark green business-like suit. He couldn't see any other details. For lack of a better description, he designated the new woman 'leader' in his mind. Leader spoke. "First Alucard and now you. You'd better not make a habit of this." After a pause in which she looked at Matt, she spoke again to the young woman. "I'll see that someone takes care of him."

"No," the young woman carefully replied. "I'd like him brought into the Hellsing organization. He chose to join of his own free will." To back up her story, he slowly but strongly nodded.

Leader looked him over, then replied. "Fine. Train him well." Leader turned and started walking toward a man in a uniform like the soldiers inside.

"Come on," the young woman said to Matthew. "You know, all things considered, this has been a perfect night." Matthew looked at her as if she were insane, but she smiled. Confused, Matthew simply walked on. As the two approached an awaiting vehicle, a strange beeping sound filled the air…


	10. Chapter 10

Matthew awoke and slowly sat up, reaching over to turn off his alarm. That dream… That was night everything changed… The night his life took a damned sharp turn down a path he would've have guessed really existed… Ever since that night it had been hazy. He could pull out vague details, but that was it. But now, it was all an open book.

He pulled his legs in, placing elbows on knees and head in hands. 'Man, I really didn't know what I was getting myself into, did I?' He sighed, and was about to flop back onto his bed when he sensed something. 'Seras… Something's bothering her… I should go see if I can help. I owe her for all the help she's given me.' He hopped up from his bed, checked that his clothes weren't too wrinkled, and slipped into the hallway.

He carefully made his way to Seras's room and knocked on her door. "Come in," came the reply. He pressed against the door and stepped inside. Her room was similar, but better decorated. She'd found some paintings for the walls and had some knick-knacks for her dresser. She also had a four-poster coffin bed. He suppressed his shudder. Seras was lying on her bed and looking towards the door. She smiled as he entered. "I should have known it would be you." She gestured to a chair.

Matthew grabbed it, spun it around, and straddled it backwards. "I figured it was high time I helped you with something. I could tell something was troubling you, so I came over. Figured I could help, or at least distract you with some random blather."

Seras chuckled. "I think I would appreciate some random blather about now."

"Ok," he replied, "I'll start there. First, the whole crisis of faith thing I mentioned. I told you what I think about God. The whole laying out a challenge thing. Well, as a sort of 'why the hell not?' thing, I asked to be able to see a sunset again. Then you go and tell me that I always could and just didn't know it, but in a way that was my answer. Yeah, it's a coincidence, but maybe that's how He works, huh? So, I let that be it, and the crisis was solved. Second, that led to my rut yesterday. Before we headed out, I asked Sir Integra about using e-mail again."

"I know," she commented. "I felt how happy you were when you left her office. It's also why I stopped by, when your mood shifted pretty seriously."

Matthew smiled. "And I appreciate it too, if I haven't said it too many times yet. Well, I'd sent out an e-mail giving some of the details to my father. I knew I could trust him, and Sir Integra didn't shoot me down, so I felt I should tell him what I could. He'd replied, and Akira had sent one too. I read both of them and replied. Dad's told me exactly what I needed to hear from him. But Akira's… She said she wanted to see me again, and to be with me, which helped. But she's been into vampires for as long as I've known her, though in a much more fictional sense. I know she didn't mean to ask me something that would cause a serious mental lockup, but it still did. She suggested my turning her. The very idea…" He shook her head. "I'll talk to her about it. Now that I've gotten some sleep under my belt I'm somewhat past it."

Seras nodded. "I understand. And if you need any help let me know." Matthew was silent, just watching her. She smiled. "I guess it's my turn, huh?" He nodded. "Something you're quite familiar with, actually. Drinking blood." She shuddered. "Seeing Anderson again today really shook me." Considering she'd shrieked, Matthew had guessed that. But in the end, she really couldn't hide it from him at that point. "I can't get myself to drink it. I know I should be taking my own advice. But when I get shook like this, it just feels… wrong…" She trailed off. Apparently it was even worse than that…

Matthew hopped up. He actually already had something of a solution, and if it worked it might help the both of them. "Hang on a sec. I'll be right back." Without waiting for a reply, he scrambled out the door.

He returned a few minutes later holding a bag of medical blood. He grabbed the bag from the bucket on Seras's table and tossed it over to her. She caught it and looked at him. "I'm not sure how you usually drink this stuff, but I'm gonna show you how I did it before. I found it pretty easy, actually." Like before, he bit off the bag's drain tip and downed it like a pouch drink. Tossing the bag into the bucket, he looked back to Seras and said, "Goes down pretty quickly that way. Still gotta find ways to start, but at least that way it's over fast."

She watched him for a moment longer, then slowly copied his actions. Soon, her bag joined his in the bucket. Matthew raised an eyebrow. "Yes, that was better. Thank you."

"If you'd like," he said, "I could stop by every couple days. Make sure we're both drinking this stuff."

"That could work," she admitted, laying back down and giving him a smile.

A few hours later, Matthew's time mostly spent reading a book and trying to relax, the call came in to report to Sir Integra's office. He met Seras at the top of the stairs to the main floor. The briefing was just starting as they arrived. Fargason was speaking to Sir Integra. "From the information gained from the vampires and Iscariot, we have determined the manner of threat we may face."

"Another ancient master vampire," she replied. Probably a guess, but with a lead in like that it made sense.

"Indeed," Fargason replied. "We have sent what information we have gathered to Iscariot and are awaiting their reply. Though I find it very odd that they would use Anderson for their envoy rather than Maxwell…"

Alucard's disembodied voice came from the shadows. "Maxwell probably didn't want to stare down the barrel of my gun again."

Fargason's eyes shifted toward the corner of the room for a moment, then back to Sir Integra. Matthew guessed he was mildly annoyed… or maybe amused… but was trying to ignore Alucard. "While we do need a little more time to determine the best course of action, I do have an idea for what our next mission should be. A data-gathering mission. We may be able to learn more about this threat." He nodded to Seras and Matthew. "For the first part of this, I would like to send Victoria and Jemeth back to the vampire's residence to search for anything which might help our investigation."

Sir Integra considered the plan, then nodded. "Approved." She turned to Matthew and Seras. "Go see Walter for some concealed weaponry. I don't want anyone taking any unnecessary risks with this new threat arising. In the meanwhile, I'll speak with Alucard. If he knows anything, it might be helpful. Dismissed."

"Yes, Sir Integra." Seras saluted and started for the door. Matthew bowed his head and followed.

The two made their way to the armory, where Walter waited patiently for them. "While I'm afraid you cannot take your usual weapons," he said after their usual greeting, "I do have something that will give you some added defense should you need it." From under the table, he produced two conceal carry holsters for wear under a jacket. He passed the smaller one to Seras and the larger on to Matthew. From a case, he produced a pair of pistols. "These are Walther PPKs."

Matthew smiled. "Ah, James Bond guns."

Walter chuckled. "Indeed. These fire 32 caliber silver bullets. Not mercury charge: they are too small for that. There is a magazine already loaded in each. Here are two spares for each of you." He set four magazines on the table. Matthew and Seras each grabbed a pistol and two magazines, sliding them into the appropriate places of the holsters. "Oh, before I forget. Mr. Jemeth, how did the shot shells in you Valkyrie work?"

Matthew lightly bit his lower lip for a moment. "Not so well, I'm afraid. I only got the chance to use one against one vampire, but all it did was slow him down. I'd have to be a pretty close range to take one out, but if enough get close I could probably take out several in one shot. Good for defense. And they'll still work well against ghouls, so I'll keep using them."

"Ah, then I'll not abandon the idea. Good luck Ms. Victoria, Mr. Jemeth."

"Thank you, Walter," Seras replied.

A few minutes later the pair arrived at the Hellsing motorpool, where Seras checked out another sedan for their use. As they approached it, Matthew turned to Seras with a big grin on his face. "Hey, Seras."

She looked a little wary at his sudden change. Matthew was almost bouncing, something she'd never seen him do. "Yes?"

He continued grinning. "Can I drive?"

Still wary, she asked, "CAN you drive?"

He nodded. "Very well. Haven't driven much since I've been in England, though, so I'm a little out of practice. I want to drive before I get too rusty."

She paused for a moment, as if considering the hell she'd get into if he crashed the car. "Well… All right."

It seemed that was enough to satisfy him. Matthew just assumed a more standard smile and approached the right side of the car. At least he remembered it was all backwards in England…

He took to the car quickly, having a feel of how it handled before leaving the headquarters driveway. Remembering to drive on the 'wrong' side of the road, they quickly started across London. As they went, the dream from the night before drifted back to the front of his mind. "I had another dream last night."

Seras looked over at him. "Really? What of?"

"That fateful night a month and a half ago."

Her lips pressed together in concern. "I see…"

"You know, after it happened I could never really remember it all. After this dream, though, I can. Even what I was thinking when it happened." He sighed. "I never really knew what I was getting myself into, did I?"

Seras shook her head. "There was no way you really could know."

After a pause, Matthew spoke again. "Have you ever," he said, "regretted not being allowed to die? Well, I guess technically we are dead so we didn't dodge that one. But still, have you ever regretted your decision to become a vampire?"

"At times, but I've become a little more comfortable with my decision as time went on." She paused. "Are you?"

Matthew shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. I've always told myself that when my time to die came I'd meet it head on, especially if dying meant protecting those I care about. A month and a half ago: was that my time? Was I meant to die then?" He sighed. "I suppose I'll never know. I'm here, and though the job description has been changed I know who I am, and I'm not going to loose myself to what I've become."

Matthew parked the car near the residence of the previous night's battle and the two started walking up the road. Strangely, there were very few people out that day. It would be a short walk, but the coffee shop was on the way and Matthew wanted some chai. He turned to Seras, determined to talk her into drinking a cup as well, when he sensed something. There was little time to react.

"Move!" He threw himself against Seras, tackling her and moving them both under the cover of an overhanging roof. Behind them, a bullet hit the pavement. It spewed mercury as it hit. "Damn! Not good!" He got up and helped Seras to her feet.

"Come on!" Seras rounded a corner into a nearby alley, then took position to watch where the bullet had come from. She drew her PPK. Matthew follow suit. Now and then, Seras peered around the corner. Suddenly, she aimed and fired three bullets. After a pause, she said, "All clear." The two stepped out of the alley. Matthew saw some ash settling on the ground coming from a window in a multi-story apartment building. "There was only one shooter. My first few looks confirmed that."

"Nice work," Matthew complemented. "And a good shot too."

She looked back, wearing the slight smile. "Thanks. I used to be a cop, you know."

Matthew nodded. "We should probably get out of here, in case whoever sent that guy realizes he failed."

"I agree," Seras replied. "Let's go." She led the way, slipping the PPK back into its holster. They walked quickly, Seras taking the driver's seat of their sedan. Matthew didn't complain. They were well on the way back before either spoke again. Seras looked over for a moment to get his attention. "You know, you've taken to this pretty well." He looked over at her, a look of question on his face. "Well, maybe not the vampire part, but neither have I. But on missions, I can feel a confidence come to you." She made another quick glance over to him. "You've come close to giving me orders."

He looked away with a sheepish expression and a nervous chuckle. "Well… When we're on a mission, everything's clear. We've usually had a specific goal. And if something happens, I've always had a pretty fast reaction time. I had a good idea of how to react, so I did it." Matthew looked back over. "Sorry if I overstepped my bounds."

They were waiting at a light, so she looked back over and smiled. "You haven't, yet, but it's all right. I'm pretty forgiving on that. Just be careful you don't step on the wrong toes."

"Like Sir Integra…"

Seras nodded.


	11. Chapter 11

"We've gone over what information we could gather, and tracked down an address where information was to be sent. We're uncertain if it's an actual base of operations, or just another link in the chain, but it's located in the industrial district." Back in Sir Integra's office, Fargason was giving his briefing. Sir Integra, Johnson, Seras, and Matthew were visibly present. Alucard was undoubtedly waiting in the shadows until he had some comment. "This will be a reconnaissance mission. As we're not certain what will be found, stealth is imperative. The mission team number should be kept to a minimum."

Johnson spoke up. "Are you suggesting only vampires be used in this operation?" Matthew raised a mental eyebrow. He almost sounded disdainful of the idea. "If our human troops are forced to sit and do nothing for too long, their morale will drop."

Alucard seemed to walk in through a nearby wall. "And if it is another ambush and they are turned to ghouls, I think they would loose much more than that."

'About time he showed up,' Matthew thought. He could see Alucard eye him from behind his glasses, that trademark smirk on his face again.

He turned his attention back to the briefing. "You asked about the new threat we face, and it is known to me." He eyed Seras and Matthew. "But first, I believe that the Police Girl and young Jemeth have a mission to prepare for."

Matthew was a little annoyed. He wanted to know what they were facing too. Unfortunately, his curiosity would not be appeased yet. Sir Integra nodded. "Yes. Victoria, Jemeth, go prepare. You will attack tonight. Johnson, inform your troops. Depending on the outcome of this mission, they may be going into battle. Dismissed."

Shortly after, Matthew and Seras were loaded up and starting for the transport. Along with his weapons, Matthew carried a number of data carrying devices. Several flashcards, a blank CD, and even a couple floppy disks. No telling what they might find, but as Matthew grew up with the now ancient 5.25 inch floppy disk, it was tough to scare him with old tech.

Matthew held back as Seras hopped in. Matthew moved to join her but something interrupted him, prompting him to step back. A voice entered his mind; Alucard's. 'Young Jemeth, we will soon be in a battle the likes of which this world had never seen,' Alucard's voice came, sounding pleased.

"You sound like you're looking forward to it," Matthew said.

'Oh, but I am.'

Suppressing a shudder, Matthew said, "I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I take it you've already told Seras about this."

'I have. Young Jemeth… Matthew, you must be ready to help your Master. This will be a trying time for us all, and she will need your help. Be prepared.'

Determinedly, he replied, "I will be."

He heard Alucard chuckle, 'Yes, you will indeed to well in this battle, young Jemeth.' Alucard's voice faded out in a chuckle, and after a moment Matthew turned and jumped into the transport.

Matthew found a seat and looked over at Seras. "Seras, I'm curious. What's with Alucard calling you 'Police Girl'? Private joke?"

Seras lightly chuckled. "In a way. It refers to how we met, with my police squad and me sent to deal with a 'disturbance'. A vampire masquerading as a priest, not that anyone had told us. I was alone at that point, and seeing him frightened me, especially when he'd killed a ghoul with his bare hand and said that the night was perfect if one was a blood sucker. I… well… shot him. It didn't even phase him, and I ran off. He'd called me 'police girl' then, and again later when I was held by the priest. After he turned me, it became his pet name for me." She gave a small smile.

She'd said some of that before, but he didn't call her on it. "So 'Young Jemeth' is his pet name for me?"

"Probably, though why he'd use one for you when you're my fledgling I don't know."

Matthew shrugged. "He's Alucard."

Seras considered that. "True."

As they approached London's industrial sector the ride became quiet. Seras and Matthew concentrated on mentally preparing themselves for battle. Matthew pulled back the slide of each browning, then gently released the hammer and slid them back into their holsters. He would wait on loading Valkyrie. Once a round was in the chamber, pressing its firing stud would fire it. There was no way to decock it like releasing the hammers on the brownings.

The transport slowed to a stop, Seras and Matthew hopping out. It lumbered away back the way it had come. The pair paused a moment, waiting to see if they had been detected. Hellsing transports weren't the most stealthy. It was dark. The lights of London, while not too distant, were easily blocked by the abandoned buildings. The moon wasn't able to do much to help either. They started off in the general direction of their target. Sticking to grass and dirt, rather than the broken pavement, muffled their footsteps a bit. But the fastest route took them through one of the old buildings. Matthew led the way, the now loaded Valkyrie around every corner they passed. Seras hung back as rear guard, her cannon better suited to long range support.

Carefully, they made their way through. Matthew stopped at the slightest noise, waiting until he could identify the source of each before moving ahead. Pale moonlight managed to find a way in through a row of dusty windows up high on one wall. It appeared on the floor as poorly defined squares. A rusty catwalk above them showed the ways to upper workstations and supervisory positions. Any equipment was long gone. Probably removed when the place closed.

They exited slowly, checking the surrounding area for any movement. There was another building ahead. It was much smaller; probably a storage building. Quietly, the pair made their way to the single door. The smallest sliver of light showed at its base. They took opposite sides of the door. Matthew counted off with his right hand from three. At one, he balled his hand into a fist, swung around, and kicked the door off its hinges. Seras moved back to get Harkonnen aimed as Matthew charged in with Valkyrie at his shoulder.

There were a few vampires and a number of ghouls scattered around the room. The largest concentration was around a pair of computers near the middle. Several vampires had shielded their heads, while others just looked startled. The ghouls… just stood there. Matthew didn't give them time to react. He fired Valkyrie slug round, catching a vampire in the chest and launching it across the room. Without missing a beat, he dropped to a knee as he reached back for a shot round. Seras's Harkonnen shell passed over his head to hit the back wall of the room. The concussion from her incendiary round tore several ghouls apart. Matthew aimed left, firing his shot round into another group of ghouls. It tore through them much better than against the vampire he'd shot at before. They fell to the ground as ashes and parts.

He slid Valkyrie to the floor, switching to his brownings as Seras lobbed another Harkonnen around into the fray. He felt the force as it hit, but didn't see the results. The initial vampire he'd shot was coming back. Thumbing back the pistols' hammers, he fired several rounds. One hit it in the head, dropping it in ashes. Another vampire was in motion as well. Matthew fired a small volley at it before it could move too far. He felt a bullet graze his shoulder, and rolled back behind cover. Hoping it would work, he moved to the far side of the filing cabinet set he'd found himself behind, looked fast, and fired faster. The vampire fell to ashes. Seras fired her third or fourth round, catching a vampire square in the chest with one of her incendiaries. Matthew looked away from the results.

The few remaining vampires and ghouls were quickly felled, and Matthew's attention turned to the computers as quickly as he could get his eyes to respond. He told himself, once again, that it was all right. He did what he had to. One of the computers had taken a hit, but the other was still running. A fast examination told him flashcards were the way to go. As Seras joined him, he grabbed the largest flashcard he had and stuffed it into the computer. It took a moment, but the computer recognized it. 'Thank goodness these folks were running Windows…' he thought. He had the most experience with it. He started grabbing files where he could, stuffing them onto the flashcard, when he noticed one file disappear as he went for it. "Damn… They're going for a remote delete." He moved faster, trying to stay ahead. He ended up with a clean twenty megabytes of information… out of a possible hundred. "Well," he said as he pulled the card out, "let's hope I got some of the good stuff on this."

"Not that you or your masters will ever have the chance to find out, Hellsing pests."

Matthew stuffed the flashcard in his pocket as he and Seras trained their weapons at the newcomer. It was definitely a vampire, but this one was different from the ones they had just silenced. He had a presence about him, and his eyes seemed a brighter shade of red. He smiled, showing off his pointed canines. Valkyrie still laid on the floor, but Matthew was pretty sure it wouldn't help. His brownings were aimed, but they were still loaded with lead-ammunition. His remaining anti-vampire ammo was still on his belt.

"I hope you'll actually prove a challenge with those puny human weapons." With a hiss, the vampire charged. Matthew fired a barrage of lead as Seras swung around behind the vampire and fired her cannon. Matthew leapt aside as the vampire flew by. He came to his feet, aimed, then realized his pistols were empty. The vampire stood up easily, unphased by the bullets. 'Huh?' Matthew thought. Normally even a lead bullet would make a vampire pause if aimed correctly. The vampire sighed as the bullets were pushed from his chest and the wounds sealed. "Oh well. So much for my fun."

Matthew punched the magazine releases and tossed his right browning to his left hand. He heard the boom of Seras's cannon, wordlessly giving him cover fire. He dug into his holster belt for a couple anti-vampire ammo mags, shoved them into the pistols, tossed one browning back to its hand, and hit the slide releases as Seras launched another round. The first had knocked the vampire back, the second kept him back. Unfortuantely, that was the best Seras could do for him. He was too close to this guy for incendiaries.

Both brownings shot up as the first rounds were chambered. He fired a volley, but watched as the vampire dodged in a blur. When it came back upright, Matthew saw a single hole in the vampire's forehead. The vampire had fallen to a knee, but brought itself back up and grabbed at its head. Matthew stared in amazed horror.

"Bloody bastard! That actually hurt!" The vampire leapt again, directly at Matthew unbelievably fast. Matthew got off a snap shot which took a chunk out of the vampire's shoulder, but before he could get of a second the vampire was upon him. His claw like fingernails dug into Matthew's chest. Luckily, Matthew's ribs blocked them from his lungs and heart. Before the vampire to plunge his claws again, Seras fired her cannon and sent the vampire flying. Matthew aimed and fired, landing two bullets simultaneously into the vampire's skull. Finally, the vampire fell to ashes.

Matthew waved off Seras's attempt to help him up, then stood. "What the hell was that thing?"

Seras shook her head. "I don't know, but I'm sure Alucard has an idea. Is the flashcard all right?"

Matthew dug it out of his pocket. "Yeah. It's in one piece." Stuffing it back in, he holstered his brownings and grabbed Valkyrie. "Let's call in evac. Targets are silenced, let's get out of here."

"Agreed." She pulled out a radio and contacted the transport.


	12. Chapter 12

"His name is Shalrik," Alucard said.

It was a short while after Seras and Matthew's return to Hellsing. They'd dropped off their weapons and flashcard, then were summoned by Alucard to the courtyard. He was finally filling them in on what was going on around there. Alucard continued, "He and I have fought many times over the eons. His appearance now suggests he feels able to beat me; that he has developed some new style of fighting." Once again, Alucard smirked. "So have I. That is why I did not join you in the mission earlier tonight, and why I will not be joining you until the battle with Shalrik. He will tempt me with his fledglings, try to get me to show my new skills."

"So the assassin from yesterday was probably sent by him," Matthew noted.

Alucard nodded. "Yes. He, like me, considers few to be equals in battle. He did not think either of you to be a threat or to be worth his respect." He smirked again. "He thought wrong. I'm not sure what made that one fledgling of his stronger than the rest, but I am certain he was one of Shalrik's higher commanders. Silencing him shows you to be dangerous. I would suggest that neither of you leave the facility unless on a mission. The streets will not be safe for you. Shalrik will not send such a small force to deal with you next time." He looked directly at Matthew. Matthew could hear Alucard's thoughts again. 'Remember what I told you.' He then looked to Seras, probably telling her something telepathically. Then, with a smirk, he vanished.

With a sigh, Matthew looked at Seras. "What now, oh fearless leader?"

Seras snapped out of a blank stare. "What?"

Matthew chuckled. The night was getting to her. So, he tried to he helpful. "Nevermind. Go get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

Seeming distant, she replied. "Yes. Good night." She started for the door. Matthew watched after her for a moment, then started for a different door.

The walk back to his room was typical. The dim, quiet, stone halls gave little distraction for his mind. It went back to the same old topics, all the different questions he couldn't answer. He was getting tired of them. Not tired angry, tired exhausted. It was almost easier to be on a mission and in combat, because then his mind was focused. He didn't try to answer himself that time. Matthew was damn near ready to throw in the towel.

He slipped into his room and stared at his trusty computer for a while. He didn't need to sleep quite yet, and surfing around aimlessly might help him. He dropped into the chair, and moment later saw the e-mail from his father. He pulled it up.

_Hello son,_

_First, you're not some evil demonic creature. You aren't feeding off the living and you're only killing those who do. I understand how what you've had to do makes you feel, but you need to calm down and concentrate on your new job._

_I trust that whatever you are doing is what needs to be done. But if you need my approval, you have it._

_This will be a short e-mail. I need to get to bed. We're on an assessment this week, and we start very early in the morning._

_Your mother sends her greetings and wishes you well._

_Love,_

_Dad_

Matthew sighed. He would reply to his father later, and thank him for saying exactly what he needed to hear. Scanning further, he saw an e-mail from Akira. Bracing himself, he pulled it up.

_Hola Imzadi,_

_I'm sorry. I didn't think that the idea of you turning me would bother you that much. I won't mention it again._

_Who is this friend of yours? I'd like to know who's keep you sane with me not around. (I'll try not to be jealous. JK!)_

_Things here have been as usual. Things in that RPG are getting… weird. I'll tell you more when enough have happened to really explain it._

_Not much more to say, I'm afraid. Except one thing… well, two things. First, I've been listening to 1000 Words a lot, and thinking of you. Second… It's strange, but there are times when I can almost hear you in my head. If you're trying to send me thoughts, keep working on it. Something is getting through._

_Gotta run. I love you, Imzadi!_

_Akira_

"Imzadi" was a word from Star Trek. I meant "beloved". He'd forgotten which one of them had used the word first, but they kept using it. Matthew wasn't sure if he'd actually tried to send thoughts to Akira, but now he would. He thought of her. 'I love you, Imzadi.' He didn't know if she would hear it or not, but it was worth a shot.

He wrote up a couple of replies. The first was to his father. He thanked him for the reassurance, again said he was doing all right, and wished him luck in his work. The second was to Akira. He did not bring up the subject of him turning her again. He did say, once again, that he missed her and hoped to see her again. He did write about 'his friend'. He wrote:

Her name is Seras Victoria. She's a member of the organization as well, and joined due to similar circumstances as me. Seras is pretty much the only person who can understand what I've gone through, and she's been a really big help. No need to be jealous, though. I'm still yours, and you're still mine.

Matthew figured that would be the best way to put it. Saying that Seras was his master would hardly help things. After sending the messages, he walked over to the bed and dropped onto it. He fell into a dreamless sleep.

Matthew awoke the next day and left his room. He wasn't entirely certain what the day's plan was, but he knew he wanted to be out of his room. It was very daylight outside, and a glance at his watch told Matthew it was around noon. 'Noon? Wow… I certainly slept in today…' Of course, reading and writing e-mails had taken a while. He was passing by a cafeteria, so he peered in. 'Ooo. They're serving corn with lunch…' Matthew had always loved corn, and hadn't had any in the longest time. His mouth started to water, but this time he had a strong desire for corn. He smiled. 'This I'll allow.' He entered the cafeteria.

As today had suddenly become a day of experimentation, Matthew just grabbed a spoon and a bowl of corn, happy to see there was a decent amount of butter on it. He looked around the room, seeing a number of people scattered around the tables. A few looked up at him curiously, but most were too engrossed in their own conversations to notice. Two people looked at each other, then back to him and waved him over. He didn't recognize them immediately, but up to that point he hadn't really interacted with a lot of people. He walked over, getting a better look at the pair. A man and a woman. They both, of course, wore Hellsing uniforms.

Before he could speak, the woman said, "Have a seat, Jemeth."

His mouth had been open to say hello, but it snapped shut as she started speaking. He simply sat down. "Thanks."

Before he could attempt introductions, the woman reached across the table to him. "Martha Walters." Matthew took her hand and shook.

The man was next. "William Tyril."

Matthew shook his hand as well. "Pleasure to meet you both." He smiled, grabbing the pepper shaker. "Seems I've become quite infamous around here." He started applying a generous coating of pepper to the corn.

"Punishment for your success, I'm afraid," Martha said. "Though we're a little surprised to see you around here."

Matthew smiled again, putting down the pepper and stirring the corn. "Today's a day for an experiment. See what I can get away with." Getting a good scoop of corn in the spoon, he tossed it down and started chewing. The vampire senses had messed with his taste buds as well, making them more sensitive. Suffice it to say, this was now the best corn he'd ever tasted. He swallowed. "And 'Real Food' gets added to the list."

"Excellent," Martha said with a smile. She looked to William. "And now my friend here has something he'd like to say."

Matthew looked over, and William suddenly looked very self-conscious. "Well, I was hoping to give you my thanks personally. You saved me when my MP5 jammed. I figured a nod wasn't quite enough for the long run."

The memory flashed into Matthew's mind. His second mission, when he used an M60 as a baseball bat, and a couple ghoul heads as balls. He extended his hand to William again, who took and shook it. "Any time, my friend. Any time."

About a half hour later he met Seras in front of Sir Integra's office. Seemed they'd finished analyzing the data. Matthew had a slight twinge of regret at memories of the last mission. He wasn't too happy with the result; barely any information gathered. 'Well, they must have found something worthwhile if they're calling us in.' He banished the traitorous thoughts and smiled at Seras.

Seras greeted him, then looked at him strangely when he smiled. "What's that?"

Matthew stopped. She was looking straight at his teeth. He rubbed his fingers across them, and found a piece of stuck corn. "Oh…" He quickly removed the piece and swallowed it. "They were serving corn in the cafeteria today, and I just couldn't help myself. I got some."

Seras looked a little concerned. "Are you all right?"

Matthew nodded. "Yeah. That was a good half hour ago. Seems I can still handle corn with butter and a whole lot of pepper." He smiled. "Almost makes me want to get my hands on some garlic, see if that part of popular culture is wrong too."

With a shrug, Seras replied, "I really wouldn't know. Just be careful, ok? If what Alucard told us is true, we'll need everyone we can get for the coming battle."

He smiled and grasped her arm for a moment. Letting his arm drop to his side, he said, "Of course. Shall we?" He gestured to the door. The two entered to find the usual crowd around Sir Integra's desk: Fargason, Johnson, and of course Integra herself. Strangely enough, Alucard stood beside Integra rather than choosing to hide in the shadows until he decided to show himself. His smirk did not seem so strong. Considering the circumstances, it made complete sense, and Matt did little more than note it in his mind.

Fargason spoke. "Victoria, Jemeth, you might have been unimpressed with what data you gathered last mission, but your worries are for not. The information you brought back was very useful. We have confirmed that a vampire named Shalrik is attempting to form an army here in England. The vampires in the residence were considering joining his army." He set a map on to the table. "We are still attempting to decrypt some of the information. Something on an experimental chemical Shalrik may be using. That bit of information is irrelevant right now, as there is a far more pressing matter." He pointed to a place on the map. "We have information suggesting that Shalrik's forces have been gathering people here, probably to be turned into ghouls for his army. Defensive strength is unknown, so I'm suggesting a full strike team." He looked at Matthew. "There's no side room full of ghouls, though, so you don't get to do a repeat of the last hostage mission."

Matthew replied with a finger snap. "Rats."

Fargason brought up a building plan. "There are two main entrances. Johnson, you'll divide your forces into two groups. Victoria and Jemeth will each accompany one team. Attack the room where the hostages are being held from two directions." He turned to Integra. "That would be my suggestion for a course of action, Sir Integra."

Alucard did not wait for Integra to look at him. "I would agree. If Shalrik is making such bold moves, he's got something up his sleeve. We should keep his supply of forces at a minimum."

Integra considered this. "You will be staying here, I take it."

Alucard nodded. "Yes, and my reasons for doing so are unchanged."

Johnson spoke up. "I think letting our troops out to stretch their legs would be good for them."

Matthew was next. "Seras and I are more than ready for escort duty." Seras nodded her agreement.

Now it was Sir Integra's turn. She nodded. "Approved. Depart for the scene whenever you are ready. May God and her Majesty be with you. Amen."

"Amen," Fargason replied.

Johnson and Fargason broke off to brief the human troops while Seras and Matthew gathered their weapons and waited at the transport. Matthew stopped himself from staring at Seras and Harkonnen. The damn thing was longer than she was! "You ready?" Matthew asked.

"Yes," she replied. "You?"

Matthew nodded. "This one'll be a lot harder than the last rescue mission we pulled. Lots of people in proximity to who knows how many vampires and ghouls. Let's hope Fargason's people have been keeping in practice. Can't afford to have anyone miss."

Seras looked over at him. "Don't forget us. We can't miss either."

"Well… Yeah… I kinda thought that went without saying." The troops started moving for the transports. "Whoop. Time to go." He hopped into the transport and picked a seat. Seras sat next to him. He looked at her. 'Good luck to us all, huh?' he thought.

'You can say that again,' Seras thought back.

The ride was silent from then on. They rode to the outskirts of London, three transports full of troops. They stopped about a kilometer from the target. Matthew looked through the darkness towards the building, his vampire enhanced vision letting him see as if through binoculars. He couldn't tell what the building was, but he could see the front entrance. There was no activity, but that meant nothing. There hadn't been any obvious activity around any other target thus far.

Johnson started dividing the troops. He would lead the group heading in the front door, and chose Seras to accompany. Matthew would escort the team heading in the back door. Matthew gave a smile and nod to Seras, then joined his team in running to the back entrance. He put on a good head of steam and managed to reach the front of the group by the time they all got to the back door. As they formed up, Matthew cycled his brownings, then lowered their hammers and slid them back into their holsters. The team two leader, a man named Harison, looked at Matthew. "You take point."

"Yes, sir," Matthew replied. He grabbed Valkyrie and stuffed a slug round into it. 'Probably won't use any shot rounds this time. Too inaccurate for this mission.' He opened the door, which was strangely and disconcertingly unlocked, and started in. The others followed steadily behind. He approached the door to where the civilians were being held, he held up his right fist. The group stopped. Matthew's enhanced hearing told him that Seras was nearly in position. 'We go on three, right?'

'Yes,' her thought came back.

In unison, as Matthew counted down with his fingers for the troops to see, the two thought, 'one… two… three!' As they hit three, Matthew slammed his foot into the door. It flew open. He could see the far door to the same, Seras charging in and to the side to find a good firing position. Matthew charged in and fired his cannon. The hostages had all hit the deck as soon as the doors had been smashed open, so the only standing targets were the ghouls. Matthew sidestepped, not worrying about how many ghouls he'd taken out. The troops entered behind him, firing as they came. Ghouls dropped right and left. Matthew fired his second round as Seras fired her third. Their bullets crossed within inches of each other, taking out lines of ghouls.

Suddenly, there was a loud inhuman yell from the side of the room. "What the bloody hell?!" came the startled cry from one of the Hellsing troops. Matthew looked over. That yell had come from a ghoul. It was actively looking around the room, yelling unintelligible sounds, and pointing in different directions. Other ghouls seemed to be following this one's commands.

"Doesn't matter! Kill it!" Harison brought up his MP5 and opened fire. Several others opened fire as well. It took a lot of firepower to bring it down. 'Damn, some of the ghouls have been enhanced too…' He loaded his next slug round into the Valkyrie and took aim at another enhanced ghoul. This time, it dropped with one hit. He looked around for any more of these enhanced ghouls, but found none.

But the battle was about to get a lot more dangerous. Several shrieks announced the arrival of several vampires into the room. Seras caught one with a high explosive round at close range. Even a vampire couldn't stand up to one of those. Matthew dropped Valkyrie and pulled his brownings. After what happened last mission, he'd asked Walter for anti-vampire bullets only. They would work on anything he'd face, as opposed to lead ammo. He fired a volley of four rounds at a second vampire, and caught him with all of them. Hellsing's human troops were, wisely, finding cover and sticking with taking out ghouls. Most of the hostages had cleared out by then, or had at least moved near the troops' positions.

A third vampire attacked Matthew from behind, sending him sprawling to the floor. The vampire turned him over and prepared to strike, and was suddenly flying across the room as Seras hit it with a depleted uranium round. It took Matt a moment to recover, but once to his feet he looked over to her. His reply was almost automatic, "Thank you, Master." Seras started at him, her eyes conveying her dislike of that name. "Sorry, Seras. It slipped out."

He had no time to figure out where that came from; he'd spotted a fourth vampire. He fired his brownings, sending six silver bullets at the creature. The vampire dodged all but two. One hit its left shoulder, the other hit it in the chest. It did not fall. 'Shit! Another enhanced vamp!' The vampire drew a long sword with a silver tip, and impaled Matthew.

The blade pierced Matthew's right flank, hitting nothing vital. But the silver plating at its tip burned as it passed through. With a yelp of pain, Matthew withdrew a step and angrily aimed and fired his right browning until its magazine was empty. Apparently, the vampire hadn't expected such a fast retaliation, and was hit by all the bullets. It dropped in a pile of ash. Having a moment to examine himself, he saw that the silver tip had gone all the way through, making it extremely difficult to pull the blade out of him. So, he reached back, grabbed the blade below the silver plating, and broke the tip off. With a grunt, he yanked the blade out of his gut and tossed it aside. Reloading his browning, he looked for another target.

"Help!" Matthew turned to the cry. It was Johnson. Johnson had blood streaming down his right leg and had been disarmed. A vampire was descending on him. Matthew sprinted, firing at the vampire, hoping it would break off its attack. However, Matthew was intercepted before he could get to Johnson. A figure suddenly appeared before him. Matthew collided with the towering form and was sent sprawling to the floor. He got to his feet quickly. He could still see Johnson, but the vampire attacking him wasn't trying to turn him, it was dragging him away. He looked at the person before him. It was another vampire, but this one had a far greater sense of presence than any other he'd faced.

This vampire had bright red eyes and dark red hair. He was very muscular, and a good six and a half feet tall. He wore a long black cape with deep red clothes underneath. He gave Matthew a cold smile; the type a predator gives before attacking its prey. Matthew's eyes dilated. This vampire had four fangs, the two usual long canines, and a pair pointing upward just inside of each. 'Shalrik…' He knew what he had to do. He had to save Johnson. Matthew brought up both brownings and prepared to fire…

…but he never got the chance. As he started to pull the triggers, Shalrik attacked with blinding speed. Seemingly out of nowhere, a fist collided with the side of Matthew's head, sending him staggering sideways. Matthew tried to aim again, but another fist met the other side of his head, sending him reeling the other way. Matthew could barely stand, and a fist came right at his face…

Matt awoke feeling like a semi-truck had just hit him. He'd been told that there were no pain receptors in one's brain, but at the moment he didn't believe it. His vision cleared, and Seras knelt above him. "Matthew, are you all right?"

He groaned. "Did anyone get the license plate number on that fist…?" With help from Seras, Matthew got up to a sitting position. "I'll manage. Where is Johnson?"

Seras paused, then shook her head. "He was taken. There was nothing we could do."

Matthew punched the floor. "God damnit!" He sighed. He'd tried to save Johnson… but failed miserably. "Integra's gonna kill me," he muttered. There was no room for weakness in her organization. How could his failure be seen any other way?

He knew Seras wanted to make a joke to lighten the mood. He could almost hear it: 'She's a little late for that'. Thankfully, Seras refrained. "You did all you could. She'll see that."

"Maybe." He looked around the room. "Did everyone else make it?"

"Mostly. We lost six, including Johnson. Two hostages didn't make it, but the rest are safe."

Matthew sighed again. "Anything else we can do to screw up tonight?"

"Probably not. Stay here. You took a bunch of hits from Shalrik. I'll see if we can head back to base."

"Ok." Seras got up and started for Fargason, who was surveying the damage. Matthew settled back, trying to grasp the sheer scope of his failure, the same thoughts rushing through his mind. Seras's words had been calming, but until he heard it from Integra herself, he assumed she would be furious at him. 'I'm a vampire. I'm supposed to be an expert at this sort of thing, especially after so many battles. Well, if not an expert than certainly experienced enough to protect my commander. Integra will probably have me killed. She can't have weaklings in her organization.'

From the back of his mind, a voice spoke up. 'Matthew! Shut up! You damn well did all you could. I thought we agreed to trust Seras's judgment. If she says you did all you could, who are you to argue? Worry about Integra later. For now, worry about getting yourself healed.'

With a mental sigh, Matthew replied to himself, 'Fine, I'll try.'

Seras returned helped Matthew to his feet. A rather unsteady walk later, they entered a transport and again she told him he did all he could.


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning, Matthew awoke with slightly less of a headache. He hauled himself out of bed, trying to keep last nights failure pushed at least somewhat to the back of his mind. Sleep was usually a good escape for him. It was like a reset button got pressed, and all the stresses of the previous day were dropped. If he remembered why he had been pissed at a given individual, he no longer remembered why it pissed him off. Though it felt as if no time had passed. Last night was still there, standing next to him and punching him in the shoulder. Matthew found a note on the table, next to a bucket of ice. He picked up the note. It was from Seras.

_Matthew:_

_No time to rest, I'm afraid. Let me know when you're up. Sir Integra is holding a briefing as soon as we're recovered._

_Seras_

Matthew nodded. He'd expected a fast turn around time for their next mission. They needed to take out Shalrik as soon as possible. 'But how we're gonna do that… I have no clue.' Matt grabbed the bag of blood out from the bucket and left, holding the bag under his jacket. He knew where Seras would be; in her room.

Minutes later he was outside her door. He knocked. "Just a minute," she called. A few moments later, she spoke again, "Come in."

Matthew opened the door and walked inside. "Good morning, fearless leader." That got a bit of a chuckle. "You all right?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing. How's your head?"

"Eh, it hurts a little. Nothing I can't ignore." He pulled the bag of blood out from under his jacket. "Shall we?"

She nodded, walking over to her table to grab the bag from the bucket. In near unison, they each opened and drank their bag's contents. The empty bags soon flew into the bucket. "Now that that's over with," Matthew said, "shall we go let Integra know we're alive? Umm… You know what I mean."

Her expression was still somewhat somber, but Matthew could tell the comment helped her mood slightly. "Yes, let's." She gestured to the door, and the two departed.

A few minutes later they were in a familiar scene, all be it with one absence. Sir Integra sat as Fargason and Alucard stood around the desk. Seras stood next to Alucard and Matthew next to her. This time, however, Integra spoke first. "Jemeth, I've read the reports of last night's mission. The loss of Johnson is regrettable, but you did all you could to save him."

Matthew paused. He hadn't expected to hear that from her. "Thank you, Sir Integra. That's good to hear."

"I only told you that to keep you from moping about it later. I will not have that in my organization." She turned to Fargason. "Go ahead."

Matthew was even more stunned, and was glad the resulting nervous chuckle stayed within the confines of his brain where it belonged. "Thank you, Sir Integra," Fargason started. "We got one last good piece of information from the data you two collected which Iscariot was able to confirm." He grabbed a map of the local counties. "There is a central data storage facility here, about fifteen kilometers outside of London. The good news is that they won't be able to remotely delete their data. The bad news, they are far better defended and probably know we'll be coming. This will be another large-scale mission. I will be on scene, but Harison will be leading. Jemeth and Victoria will escort. Also, we'll have a full computer team there. If there is anything worth finding, they'll find it. As we are in need of this information as soon as possible, we will be launching immediately rather than wait for nightfall."

Sir Integra nodded. "Very well. Proceed on your mission. May God and her Majesty be with you. Amen."

Fargason replied. "Amen."

Seras and Matthew once again headed to the armory after the briefing. Knowing they would be arriving, Walter was standing in his usual place as they entered. "Greetings, Ms. Victoria. Mr. Jemeth. I trust you are both well?"

"We're fine, Walter," Seras replied.

"I'll need Mr. Jemeth for a few minutes, so it might be best if I ask you what you need first."

"I need some more ammunition for my Harkonnen." Wordlessly, Walter grabbed an ammo case and set it on the table. "Thank you, Walter."

"You're quite welcome, Ms. Victoria. Now, Mr. Jemeth, I have something I think you'll like." Matthew raised an eyebrow. "Oh, don't worry, it's not another cannon." Matthew gave a mock sigh of relief, wiping his forehead. Seras chuckled. Walter grabbed a decent sized case and hefted it onto the table. He unlocked it, swung the lid open, and produced a strange twin-barreled rifle. "This is the Spitfire Assault Rifle. It is a combination 223 caliber assault rifle / 12 gauge shotgun anti-freak weapon." He passed it to Matthew. Matthew quickly found the magazine port, under the weapon in front of the trigger group, and a loading gate for an internal shotgun shell magazine, on the right side of the weapon just above and a bit behind the shotgun slide. The upper barrel was smaller, for the rifle. The lower was larger, and behind it was pump-action shotgun slide, with a button trigger on its left side. On the weapon's left side were the ejection ports for both the assault rifle cartridges and shotgun shells. Housing the two weapons was a mostly plastic casing. The whole weapon was the length of his arm.

"It's impressive, Walter." Matthew held the weapon to his left shoulder and aimed at a nearby wall. "Fits perfectly." He set Spitfire on its case. "I'll be able to test it out on this mission. What does it shoot?"

"The rifle ammunition is solid silver. Unfortunately, I couldn't make true anti-vampire bullets for it. The shotgun shells are silver shot. As you had said they will slow down a vampire, so I left it in the design. The trigger fires the rifle, and the button on the slide's side fires the shotgun when a shell is loaded."

Matthew nodded. "Yep, this'll do fine. I like the size and power, too. Strong enough to be dangerous, but small enough that I can easily control it. Thanks, Walter."

"You're welcome, Mr. Jemeth. Oh, I also have a new backpack for you." He grabbed a backpack from the wall and set it on the table.

"Wow… Different…"

It was. Along the top was a rail about an inch in diameter. The left side had a snap railing system on it, possibly to hold the Spitfire in place. The Valkyrie's ammo dispensers had been moved to accommodate the Spitfire's presence. "The new rail is for Valkyrie. It'll allow you to hold it across your back rather than on your shoulder and to move it from one side to the other so you can store it at your right shoulder and fire it on your left. The side rails are for Spitfire. You can snap it in and out relatively easily, but only from a certain angle. Put it on." Matthew complied, adjusting it to comfort. "Now, take Spitfire and swing it over your shoulder into the rails." He did so, and the rifle stayed in place. "Now, Ms. Victoria, try to pull the rifle off." She grabbed it and yanked. The rifle didn't move, but Matthew did.

After making sure he wouldn't fall, he grabbed the rifle by its stock, which was sticking over his shoulder, and yanked forward. The rifle popped out, rolled over his shoulder, and landed in his waiting hands. "Nice." He smiled, and set it on the table before taking off the backpack.

Walter handed him a belt holding about forty shotgun shells, twenty on opposing sides with some blank space at either end. Matthew took off his jacket and draped the belt over his torso: from right shoulder to left waist. Next, he handed a pair of shorter belts. Each held four magazines of rifle ammunition. They had two straps each, which connected with snaps. Positioning them on his thighs, he snapped their straps, holding them in place. "Excellent, Mr. Jemeth. I need to make some modifications to Valkyrie. If you leave it here, I will have them finished within a day or two. Do you think you can manage with your brownings and Spitfire?"

Matthew paused. "Well, I suppose I'll have to." He snapped Spitfire into place.

"Good luck to you both."

In unison, the vampires replied, "Thank you, Walter." After a questioning glance at each other and a shrug from Matt, they left for the assembly area.

Fargason had gotten the troops assembled, but from the looks of things they needed a big victory, and they needed it soon. The loss of Johnson weight heavily on them. Some threw glares at Matthew, while others, like Martha and William, actually came up to him and thanked him for his efforts. Having already given his briefing, Fargason ordered the troops into transports soon after the arrival of Seras and Matthew.

It was a long, quiet trip. This time, as it was daylight, there was something to see. Matthew was able to get his eyes to a viewport and watch the city and later country go by. When he sat, soon before their arrival, Seras chuckled at his behavior. He shrugged. 'Eh,' he thought to her, 'it helps the headache.'

The transports stopped a kilometer from the building pegged as the data storage facility. From that distance, it looked like little more than a farmhouse, but a lucky glance through a window caught a vampire in the eyes of Seras and Matthew. "This is the place," Fargason said. "Move out."

The troops moved within a couple hundred meters of the house with great stealth. On the way, Matthew fed five shells into Spitfire, its maximum load. He then grabbed a thirty round magazine and loaded it. Yanking back the bolt, he set the rifle's safety and snapped it back in place. Once in position near the farmhouse Harison took a final look at the situation, then ordered a charge. The troops of Hellsing got up in a run, sprinting for the front and back doors of the house. Seras charged ahead to take point, with Matthew hot on her heels. He yanked Spitfire out of its rails and brought it back around, landing its shotgun slide in his waiting right hand and grabbing the trigger group with his left. He would bring it to his shoulder later. Seras barely stopped to kick open the door. A few feet in, she took aim and fired her cannon. Its recoil slid her back a few inches and sent a trio of ghouls to the ground. Seras moved to find a firing position as Matthew moved up to fire.

He brought Spitfire to his shoulder, aimed, and fired at what he figured to be an enhanced ghoul. With a loud 'braaap' from Spitfire, the ghoul dropped. He cycled the shotgun, took aim at a nearby pack of ghouls and pushed the button. The shotgun fired, sending the ghouls to the floor. Without a thought, he started into the house, taking aim at another ghoul and firing off a quick burst of fire. The vampire he'd spotted before attacked from Matthew's left. He swiveled out of the vampire's way, then took aim and fired a long burst of fire. The bullets penetrated the vampire's heart, and the vampire turned to ash.

The rest of the troops piled in through the front and back doors, catching the vampires by surprise. Hellsing had needed a crushing victory, and they got it that day. Matthew suddenly found himself surrounded by ash and ghoul remains. Rather than aim aimlessly at air, he swung Spitfire back into its mount. Suddenly, Seras was beside him. "Are you all right, Matthew?"

He struggled with the answer for a moment. "Uhh… Yeah. I'm fine. Why?"

"You look like you just snapped out of a trance, or something."

"Sorry. Just lost in thought for a moment. That battle seemed pretty easy."

She nodded. "It was easy. There weren't as many vampires or ghouls as we'd anticipated."

Matthew paused. "And I'm pretty sure the vampires around here weren't greater fledglings like the one a couple nights back." Seras nodded again. "Well, this can only mean a few things. One: the rest are hiding. Unlikely. Two: reinforcements are on the way. Possible. Three: Shalrik has called the rest of the troops to him. That itself can mean two things. One: Shalrik's figured we're gonna find him eventually, so why bother defending this place. Better to work on his on defense. Two: Shalrik has decided he can take us, so he wants us to find him. If that's the case, things aren't that good."

"Why not?"

"'Cause if he figures he's ready, he might be. He probably knows our forces pretty well at this point."

Seras smiled. Matthew gave her a confused look. "I'd figured all that out after the battle finished. Wanted to see how perceptive you were."

Matthew chuckled. "Yeah, you used to be a cop, I know. So, did I pass?"

"Indeed. The computer teams are working now. They're just going to download the data and worry about decrypting it back at HQ, just in case reinforcements are coming."

Matthew nodded his reply. "Well, now that my brain is working again, wanna go run some security?"

She smiled. "That's next on my agenda."

"All right." Matthew yanked the almost empty magazine from the Spitfire and loaded a new one. "Let's go." The two started for the door.

Matthew felt just fine about the mission the next day. According to Fargason's debriefing, they'd gotten a large amount of data. It would take a good couple days to decrypt it all, giving Hellsing a couple days of stand down they really needed. The only non-routine thing going on was the line of communication set up with Iscariot at the Vatican to keep them appraised. It was still in the air whether or not they would bring in Paladin Anderson, but depending on how things looked it might be better to have him around, even if just as a human shield as Alucard suggested.

One of the more routine parts of the day was training. Hellsing was still recouping from the losses of the Valentine brothers' attack. Lacking experienced people Seras had been asked to help train, and she in turn asked Matthew if he wanted to join in on the fun. Hence why Matthew now approached Seras's door and gave it a good knock. She opened it and gave him a smile. "Ah, Matthew. Good to see you. Ready to see how the new recruits do?"

Matthew smiled back and nodded. "Sure am. Let's hope they do better than I did at the start."

"Oh, cut yourself some slack. You did just fine." She exited and shut the door behind her. "Shall we?"

Matthew gestured down the corridor. "After you."

Half an hour's helicopter flight away was one of Hellsing's training facilities. It was an open topped complex of random hallways, rooms, and doors. The idea was to move through, break open doors, and clear out "hostile targets" while leaving "non-threats" alone. One room at the "start" of the course was the final briefing room. Candidates would have already received weapon instruction and basic target information. Now was a quick refresher and time to go.

Matthew stood at the door to the briefing room watching Seras as she gathered a group. "All right, group three. Let's move on to you lot." She paused a moment as they gathered around her. "As you heard in the earlier briefing, when you encounter a target shoot only for the head. Hits to other parts of the target won't be counted. If you shoot a non-threat target you will fail immediately and the test will end. The arrows will help guide you through the course. Questions, anyone?"

A man spoke up. To Matthew he had no accent, meaning he was possibly from the United States. Matt disliked him after his first words. "Hey, girl."

Seras was annoyed as well. "What is it, then?"

"We heard some crap about there being a real vampire in this unit."

Still irritated, Seras coolly replied, "Have you?" The response from the group was laughter. Seras walked towards the man. "Oh, it seems there is something wrong with your MP5." She reached up and grabbed his weapon's barrel.

"Uh… What do you mean?" the man replied.

Effortlessly, Seras twisted her hand and bent the barrel nearly ninety degrees. "It seems that the barrel it bent." The man looked at his weapon and at Seras unbelievingly. Seras stepped back, smiling. "You'd better have it replaced quickly or you'll miss your chance to test." She started walking to the door to where Matthew stood, his arms crossed across his chest.

Matthew shook ever so slightly as he tried to contain his laughter. He strained to keep the smile off his face. Seras stood next to him. Matthew lowered his left arm, holding out his hand next to her. "Nice," he complemented. Seras smacked his hand with hers in a low-five and Matthew moved his arm back to his chest.


	14. Chapter 14

That group actually did quite well. Most of them stayed on target, asshole included, and showed they might have what it took to be a Hellsing soldier. If nothing else, no one else in that group questioned if there were real vampires among them. Matthew assisted with the rest of the day's training, even giving the final briefing to a group or two.

Once back in his room, Matthew stopped by his computer long enough to start up some music and went to lie on his bed. Before he could make it, there was a knock at the door. He paused mid step and turned to look. "Come in," he said.

The door moved inward, and Walter entered the room. "Greetings, Mr. Jemeth."

"Heya, Walter. How're you?"

"Quite fine, Mr. Jemeth, thank you. I have something for you in the armory, if you would join me?"

Matthew stood and walked over to him. "After you."

Walter and Matthew walked over to the armory. Valkyrie sat on a nearby table. Matthew walked up to it and hefted it. The change was easily noticeable. It's nylon strap had been removed and replaced with a series of metal snap hinges with a clamp at the end. Beside it sat the backpack. "I assume this clamp attaches to the top rail?"

"Correct." Walter attached Valkyrie's clamp to the rail and demonstrated how it would slide from one side to the other. "When you have it in position over your shoulder, simply pull back and it will snap in place. It may even help stabilize the weapon when you fire. Of that I'm not certain, so you may want to test fire it first."

"Hey, as long as it isn't worse than before, I'll be fine." He opened the top of the backpack. Slipping into his British accent, he said, "Shall we load this up, then?"

"Certainly." Walter grabbed two boxes of ammo and helped Matthew load them. "You'll note that this pack holds more ammunition than before. It holds twenty rounds each of slug and shot rounds. If the next mission is as difficult as I fear it will be, you may need them."

Matthew nodded. In his normal voice, he replied, "Every chance of that. Thanks, Walter."

"Oh, and one more thing. I have a new holster belt for you as well." Walter grabbed a belt and set it on the table. "As you can see, it has several more places for magazines. I've modified them so that when you press an empty pistol onto each, the magazine will be pushed into it by a spring. It should decrease your loading time."

"Rather dramatically, at that. Thanks, Walter. This'll help more than you know."

Suddenly, a voice came into Matthew's mind. 'Matthew, come to Integra's office.'

Matthew thought back. 'On my way, Seras.' He turned to Walter. "Gotta run, Walter. I'll be back for the weapons in a bit. Something tells me we'll be launching on this mission as soon as possible."

"Quite possibly, Mr. Jemeth. I will be here when you return."

Matthew jogged through the corridors and clambered up the stairs to Sir Integra's office. He was the last to arrive, but no one said anything about it. Sir Integra simply nodded to Fargason to begin. "We have decrypted a fair amount of the information gathered in our last mission. I believe we have enough to launch a mission." He cleared his throat before continuing. "We have learned where Shalrik has been building his forces; the ruins of Cheddar."

Seras noticeable tensed on hearing the name. The group looked at her. She waved them off. "Sorry. Please continue." Matthew decided to ask later.

Fargason continued. "We can't be certain of how many forces he has there, but based on our last mission we can guess they are extensive. We'll worry about the actual plan in a moment. We have another rather important piece of information. Shalrik has been running experiments on enhancing vampires and ghouls through use of a chemical additive injected on biting. The early experiments only created more violent vampires, which explains the earlier increase in activity. Recently, however, his experiments have been turning out improved vampires. Stronger, faster, and with resistance to silver and mercury."

Now Matthew tensed. "How long has Shalrik been running the experiments?"

Fargason gave him a solemn look. "About two months."

It was several seconds before Matthew spoke again. His words were carefully selected and spoken without inflection, "Continue, Commander." Seras watched him for a little longer before returning her eyes to Fargason.

After a pause, Fargason continued. "A majority of the remaining information is recruitment; information to be sent out to vampires around the world to draw them to him, or even to convince humans to join his cause. There is no way to tell how much of this got out into the public, so there is no way to know how many have been drawn in."

Alucard, again standing at Integra's side, spoke. "Enough that he feels ready to face us." He turned to Integra. "Send in none of Hellsing's troops. Only myself, Seras, and young Jemeth. For surprise's sake, we will contact Iscariot and have them send the Regenerator."

Sir Integra glance at him turned a few degrees colder. "You don't make the orders around here, Alucard."

"Then consider it a suggestion you should follow. I know Shalrik, Master. He only makes moves like these when he knows he can handle as great an attack as can be mustered. If all our troops go, they will be killed or turned into ghouls and vampires, only increasing Shalrik's strength. He is counting on that to build up his final defenses against us. If only the four of us go, and go now, he will be unprepared."

Integra started to consider this. Matthew's mind was only half concentrating. Connections were being made in his mind, and they were both frightening and maddening. Before they could boil over, Integra replied. "Fine. Mission approved. Leave when you are ready. We will make the contact and give you Anderson's ETA when we know it. Dismissed."

As they started down the stairs, Seras caught up to a fast moving Matthew and gave him a concerned, questioning look. "Later," he said in a 'drop-it' tone of voice.

She nodded. "Let's get to the armory and pick up our weapons. Cheddar is a long way from here."

"Right. Let's move."

Matthew said nothing else during their descent to the armory. Seras strapped on her back mounted ammo box, hefted her cannon, and grabbed a pistol for a backup weapon. Matthew steadily grabbed each of his weapons or collections of ammunition and put them in place. By the time he was done, he looked like he was preparing for doomsday. The activity had calmed his mind a bit. In an attempt to keep it that way, he turned to Seras and asked, "So, which small country should I take out next, oh fearless leader?" Seras gave a soft laugh, and Walter cracked a smile. Yeah, that did help him feel a little better.

Walter wished them both good luck, and Seras and Matthew departed. Cheddar was a good distance away, so they were led to the roof helicopter pad. Alucard would not be joining them. He had other methods of transportation. As the pair unloaded their gear into the helicopter and strapped in, word came in from Sir Integra. Anderson would arrive at Cheddar in the evening. Matthew was curious how the Paladin could arrive so quickly, but didn't question. Hopefully this wouldn't turn into some of the horror stories he'd heard from Seras…

The helicopter lifted off in the setting sun, turned north, and started away. It would take some time to reach Cheddar, and there was no time to loose. Most of the trip was in silence, but in time Cheddar appeared in the distance. It was difficult to see from that range, but Matthew's expression still hardened. Seras spoke up. "Matthew, what's wrong?"

Matthew looked at her. "Sharik has been running experiments for the last two months; experiments which started with overly violent vampires. Fargason's pause in telling me told me one important thing: the vampire in that London mall on that fateful night now two months ago was one of Shalrik's first experiments. Because of that vampire, I was turned. If not for him, I wouldn't have gotten shot. If not for Shalrik, I would have gone home." His red eyes burned with rage. "Alucard had better not kill Shalrik before we can get there. I'm going to tear that bastard apart with my bear hands. He stole my life from me, and now he will pay." Matthew never yelled, but his voice carried an intensity he'd never heard from himself before. 'What have I become…?'

Seras obviously picked up on that thought and responded in kind. 'You're a vampire hunter with your target in your sights. Don't hesitate to shoot.'

'I won't.'

Below them, the ruins of Cheddar became more clearly seen. Decaying buildings and bits of rubble showed in the strange red light of the full moon. It was as if the world knew what was coming that night, and was preparing an appropriate scene for battle.

Seras looked out the window. Quietly, she said, "This is where is all started for me."

Matthew's anger was cut down as his concern for Seras jumped up in his mind. He joined her. "This is where you were turned?"

"Yes." She pointed to a building. "In that church, actually. Being back brings back memories, and not too pleasant ones."

"I can imagine." Matthew lifted an arm and grasped her shoulder. "Well, maybe by silencing some vampires here you'll get some closure with this place. Maybe."

"Yes, maybe." Seras sat down, and the rest of the trip was made in silence.

There was a clearing a short ways from the town. This is where the helicopter set down. Having already grabbed their gear in the last minutes before landing, Seras and Matthew quickly slipped from the helicopter. The pilot wisely made haste in departing. He would fly several miles away and wait to be recalled. For the briefest of moments, Matthew envied the pilot. Shaking the thought from his mind, Matthew turned to follow Seras through the woods.

Their rendezvous point, set by Alucard before their departure, was about 500 meters outside of town limits. As they arrived, Seras quietly called out, "Alucard, are you here? We're in position."

There was no reply. Alexander hadn't yet arrived either. With half their party missing, Matthew and Seras simply found places to stand and wait.

But something interrupted their wait…

The scene before Matthew's eyes changed. Suddenly he could see the happenings somewhere else in Cheddar. The room was indistinct, but he could recognize the pair in the room. On one side stood Alucard. On the other, Shalrick. 'Damn him! He didn't wait for us!'

Alucard spoke. "After all this time, Shalrik, we finally end this. I've always considered your skills to be that of a grade A vampire. It's been some time since I've had a worthy opponent. I hope you don't disappoint me."

Shalrik gave a cold chuckle. He spoke with a very deep voice. "These decades have only allowed me to increase my skill. I think you'll find me more than a match for you." He smiled; the same smile he'd given Matthew. "I have more power than you could ever imagine. Why don't you make the first move, my old opponent."

Alucard smirked. 'Go for it, Alucard,' Matthew said in his mind. He heard something from Seras, but couldn't tell what it was. Now, Alucard spoke to Shalrik. "Very well, but I'd better not get bored fighting you." He took a combat stance. "Releasing control art restriction system to level three. Level two. Situation A release level one. The Cromwell Approval is now in effect. Hold release until target is silenced." Shalrik chuckled at the display, but his smile faded at what happened next.

Alucard's arms dissolved, reforming into a pair of large black blobs with many red eyes on them. His hat disappeared, letting long black hair fall free. His arm blobs started to form into something… but the view cut away before Matthew could see what they were becoming.

The view was back on Shalrik. "Very impressive, Alucard. How about this?" He let out a long, loud yell. But, that human yell slowly turned into an inhuman screech. Matthew's eyes went wide as Shalrik started to morph. He dissolved into a red blob… A blob that quickly grew to massive size. Rough appendages started to form, revealing powerful limbs, power jaws, powerful tail… The form solidified, enlisting a startled gasp from Matthew.

Shalrik had become a red dragon. He screeched and let loose a breath of fire…

…And suddenly, Matthew's view was back in the forest near Cheddar. In the distance, a ball of fire flared above the town. "Alucard…" he said silently.

He heard Seras quietly call out to him. "Master…" Matthew looked over to her, and was stunned. Seras's expression slowly turned from one of concern and fear to one of anger and rage. Her eyes were colder and harder than he had ever seen.

It was enough to make him draw back a step. "Seras… Are you all right?"

Her voice carried what her eyes showed. "I'm going to him, and I'll kill anything that stands in my way."

A flash of metal came between them, stabbing into a nearby tree. Seras jumped. Matthew turned fast to see where it had come from. The large figure of Paladin Anderson stood there, one arm outstretched after the throw. He chuckled.

Seras said nothing. She stared venom at Anderson a moment, then turned and started walking toward Cheddar bringing Harkonnen to her hip. Matthew brought Valkyrie to his left shoulder, loaded a slug round, and followed. Anderson grabbed his sword and brought up the rear. Matthew suddenly wondered if it was wise to let the Paladin be behind them, but it was a little late to switch the lineup.

Cheddar had been a simple English town until a vampire disguised as a priest came. After the vampire was defeated, no one came to repopulate the town. The town remained largely intact since it had been abandoned. Most of the buildings still stood, but those remaining showed the signs of the battle that led to its abandonment. Broken windows, bullet holes in walls, and a pair of burned out buildings stood as testament to the valiant efforts of the police's efforts in stopping the vampire and his ghouls. But it had been for naught. That vampire had left no survivors in the town. It was that vampire that had held Seras hostage, forcing Alucard to do to her what she had done to Matthew two months ago.

They approached the entrance to town, with many roads heading towards the center. Another ball of fire leapt above the buildings and flared out. "You know," Matthew said, "this is just a guess, but I think he's that away." Matthew pointed. Seras lightly grasped his arm, showing her appreciation at his attempt at humor.

"We're splittin' up," Anderson said. "We'll cover the most ground, and I won't have to look at ya any more than I have to."

Before Seras could provoke the Paladin into doing anything, Matthew took his attention away. "You're not too pretty yourself. But you've got a good idea about splitting up." He looked to the other of their party. "Seras?"

She nodded. "That should work fine. We'll meet up on the far side." Without another word, she started off. Matthew knew she wanted to be around Anderson as little as possible.

The Paladin started for another street. After a moment, Matthew spoke up. "Anderson." He looked back. "Watch yourself. Shalrik souped up some of his forces. He's got ghouls that can give orders and vampires with resistance to silver."

"I can handle myself, vampire." He added emphasis to 'vampire', making it an insult. He turned away and continued off.

Matthew sighed and shook his head. He had to try it once. Turning to a third street, he started off.


	15. Chapter 15

The final battle coming up had a number of improvements over the original I removed a lot of the copying from the series, and made more major fixes to Anderson.

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Valkyrie turned to aim at every door, broken window, side street, and alley. All his weapons were locked, loaded, and ready to roll. But for the first several long minutes, all was quiet on Matthew's street. Several times the sky lit up with a red flash, and other times with an explosion of dark energy. Matthew knew Alucard was strong, and though he'd never seen this 'fighting form' of Alucard's Matthew knew he could easily hold out. Part of him questioned if the elder vampire was simply waiting for them to arrive before silencing his old for.

Suddenly, there was a rolling boom from the next street over. Seras's Harkonnen had just been fired. Matthew turned to run over, but stopped. 'She can handle herself, Matthew. She's counting on you to clear out this road. Get to it.' With a nod to himself, he turned and started up the road again.

As he walked, he could sense something building in the back of his mind. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. It was like a slowly building resistance, as if the air were thickening to hold him back. He pressed on, hoping Seras was doing all right with each boom of her cannon. But the pressure kept building, his progress slowing. Finally he just stopped, and the pressure went away. 'Ok, so something is definitely trying to stop me.' He smirked. 'Not gonna work today, Shalrik.' He pushed on again, ignoring the pressure as much as possible.

But suddenly the pressure was replaced by a flare. Like his 'Oh shit!' feeling multiplied by ten. His gaze snapped left, and he saw the glint of rifled pointed at him. There was the inhuman yell of an enhanced ghoul, and he knew they were about to fire. With more speed than he thought he could muster, he leapt backwards out of the fire and back into the frying pan. 'Ok, so it was ME that was trying to stop me. Whoops."

A mob of ghouls entered the street from buildings on both sides. They shuffled to form on in an old British Army formation. Matthew wasn't going to let them if he could avoid it. He fired the first Valkyrie round, taking out a number of ghouls. But the hole was quickly filled. He loaded another slug and fired again, ending with the same result. The first line raised their rifles. 'Shit…'

Matthew ran for cover, leaping through a broken window as a bullet whizzed by his head. He fired a third Valkyrie round from the cover of the window, then flipped it to the other shoulder and grabbed Spitfire. He sprayed a full magazine, dropping another scattering of ghouls to the ground. But this mob was huge. Probably explained why there had been none at the head of the street. He loaded another magazine, but realized what trouble he was in. 'I can't take them all out before they get here.' Matthew stole a glance to his side and saw a way through the buildings along the street. It would delay their arrival, but he wasn't sure if it would be enough.

That's when he saw something on the ground he figured he could use. A grenade, possibly from the battle between D11 police forces and the vampire's ghouls from so many months before. It looked all right, and still had its pin. He grabbed it, yanked the pin, and threw for the center of the massive group. Counting down from five, he ran for the side door. There was a thud behind him, dampened by the walls of the building. When he looked out a window at the group, he saw that only a few remained. He returned to the street, and Spitfire was more than enough to deal with the rest.

Reloading Spitfire and setting it on safe, he returned it to its snap rails and brought Valkyrie into position over his right shoulder. It had taken too long to move it out of the way of Spitfire, and he wanted to be ready to quick drawing. He'd just figure out how to shoot righty for the time being. He grabbed a shot round for variety and stuffed it into his cannon.

A short ways down the street, there was a shriek from above. Three vampires were upon him. Matthew took two fast steps back so that a vampire landed directly in front of him. He fired Valkryie at point blank range. The silver shot tore through the vampire, dropping it in a pile of ask. 'Well, seems this thing works fine if you get close enough.' He flipped Valkyrie over his shoulder and grabbed his brownings. Thumbing back their hammers, he opened fire. The second tried to dodge, but one bullet landed where it was aimed. The third was far faster, and when a bullet finally landed in its head it didn't fall. 'Damn… Enhanced…' He fired the last bullets in both pistols, landing two in one of the vampire's legs and keeping it slow for a moment. Matthew hit the magazine releases and flung the empty mags out. Pressing them against the belt's holders, a pair of fresh magazine were launched into the guns. He hit the slide releases, aimed, and fired. The vampire fell.

After taking a few moments to regain his nerves, he holstered his pistols and brought Valkyrie back into position. Loading a slug round, he heard Seras's voice in his mind. 'Eat Harkonnen, bitch,' followed by another boom. Matthew shook his head. "I'm glad she's on my side," he said to the air.

Matthew had two more encounters. Luckily, his only opponents were ghouls and each group was small. He stuck with Valkyrie's slug rounds, wanting to save his silver for the coming battle. He was glad he had an extra five rounds of ammo to work with. He came to the end of the street and surveyed the area. Now clear of most of the buildings, he could see where the blasts of fire had come from. The town was mostly built around a castle, and Shalrik had picked that castle as his base of operations. Seras and Anderson hadn't arrived yet, so Matthew looked for a place where he could have good visibility and good cover. But his search was interrupted.

A familiar voice came from behind him. "Jemeth!"

Matthew turned brought Valkyrie to bear. There, in the light of the red sky, stood Johnson. He wore a combat suit with all equipment and identification removed. He looked almost normal, save for his eyes. His eyes were bright red. Johnson gave a smile frighteningly similar to Shalrik's. "Johnson!" He turned Valkyrie aside, keeping his face locked on Johnson. "I thought you were dead! 'Dead' dead, that is."

Johnson walked toward him. "You failed me, Jemeth. You let them get me and turn me into what I am now." He stopped about twenty feet away. "I almost have to thank you. Your failure has allowed me to become something glorious!" He cackled insanely. "I am Lord Sharik's greatest creation! And as a reward for my loyalty, Lord Shalrik has given me permission to remove you from this Earth." He gave a cold, predatory smile as his fingers dissolved into claws. "Now I shall end your pitiful existence, weakling vampire."

Matthew slid his arms inside the straps of his backpack, allowing the pack to fall to the ground, and yanked his brownings. He dropped into a combat stance, with his right browning ahead of his left by about half a foot. Thumbing back their hammers, he spoke. "I'm sorry I let this happen to you, Johnson. All I can offer you now is a quick end."

"Sorry?" he said mockingly. "You're sorry? Be sorry for yourself!" Johnson leapt at Matthew. Matthew brought his pistols to bear and fired, peppering Johnson with anti-vampire bullets. Johnson flew by Matthew, his claws slicing through the denim of Matthew's jacket and into the flesh of his back. Matthew gasped from the pain then launched himself to the side, spiraling in the air to fire at Johnson again. He landed on his feet facing Johnson and surveyed the damage he'd caused. Johnson, chuckling, turned to face Matthew. The bullets fell from their holes as they were pushed from Johnson's body. 'Ah, Hell…'

He brought up his brownings and fired again, hitting Johnson with all of them. Two pierced his chest. Johnson continued to smile. "Well, I believe that stung a tad. I'll have to hurt you more before I kill you." Johnson was standing next to Matthew's pack. Turned to it and ripped out Matthew's Spitfire through brute force. Holding by the stock, he hurled it at Matthew. Matthew sidestepped out of the way, watching as Spitfire flew through the air and landed on the ground several meters behind him. He turned to face Johnson again, planning on asking just what he'd meant to accomplish, but that was made painfully clear very quickly.

Johnson used Matthew's distraction to leap again, and had closed the distance by the time Matthew turned around. Johnson's claws dug into Matthew's shoulders. Then he pulled them out and swiped at Matthew's chest. Matthew managed to react and start moving, but got a set of claws across his waist for his efforts. He dropped his brownings as he attempted to fall back. They hadn't even slowed Johnson down. Johnson jumped at him again, this time connecting both feet and sending Matthew flying to the ground.

"Not good enough, weakling. Maybe as a reward for killing you, Lord Shalrik will let me have Seras Victoria? I'm sure he could… change her mind about what she is."

Matthew hauled himself back to his feet, his red eyes burning with rage. In the few months he'd known her, Seras had become one of Matthew's best, closest friends. And no one spoke of his friends that way. No one. Matthew didn't yell, but his voice carried an intensity no yell could truly portray. "You son of a whore." Spitfire, formerly laying next to him, came up in his hands. He pumped its shotgun slide. "You wanna kill me? Come and try it."

Johnson started in. Not a run or leap as before. He moved forward, but sidestepped too. Trying to move around Matthew and find a weak point. Matthew kept Spitfire aimed, his finger on the shotgun's firing button. He turned in place, playing king of the hill and letting Johnson close the distance at his pace. Suddenly, when Johnson was barely an arm length away, Matthew swung the butt of Spitfire around and clubbed Johnson in the head. As he was spun around, Matthew leveled Spitfire at Johnson's back and fired. The shot tore into him, some having enough power to punch through to the other side of his stomach. He finished his spin. Johnson didn't have a hole in him, but he definitely felt it. He said nothing, simply giving an inhuman roar and leaping at Matthew again. Matthew leapt under his attack, throwing Spitfire clear as he rolled ahead and came up holding one of his brownings.

Something pierced the air. One of Harkonnen's shells flew past Matthew's head and connected with Johnson's back. His weakened waist didn't trigger the shell's detonator. He turned around, the tip of the shell poking through one of the holes in his gut. It was red; an incendiary explosive shell. Matthew held the pistol in a two handed grip, aimed quickly and carefully, and pulled the trigger.

Vampire enhanced skills and a dash of pure luck connected Matthew's bullet with the shell's detonator.

Matthew closed his eyes, saying a final farewell to a good man as the blast's concussion passed him.

He turned around, not wanting to look at Johnson's remains. There was Seras, lowering her cannon. It was obvious she had heard what Johnson had told Matthew. She was no worse for wear, having a number of scraped, cuts, and a pretty nasty bruise on her right thigh.

"You all right?" Matthew asked.

"Yes, fine." She reloaded her cannon as Matthew recovered his weapons. Spitfire's rail had been somewhat mangled by Johnson, but Matthew managed to bend it back into place and snap the rifle in it. "You?"

Matthew checked his wounds. They were damp, but each was in a different state of healing. "I will be in a minute. Thanks… Seras." He'd been about to say 'Master' again, but he figured that was the last thing she needed to hear. "Anderson?"

"Here, vampire," came Anderson's Scottish accented voice. Matthew turned. Anderson was barely injured, and that insane grin of his looked even larger than before. Obviously he enjoyed combat as much as Alucard did.

Another fireball leapt from the castle. Matthew looked to its open door. "Let's go help him."


	16. Chapter 16

"I have point." Seras ran, not waiting for the others. Matthew and Anderson followed. The stone corridors of the castle, lit by torches hung on the walls, were very tight and filled with ghouls. Seras and Matthew struck back with their pistols as Anderson sliced them apart with his blades. It seemed the tight quarters forced him to forget who he was fighting beside, at least for the moment. It wasn't long before they arrived at the castle's center, when Alucard and Shalrik fought.

Alucard's body was intact, but his arms had become long, black tendrils covered with red eyes, each ending with the head and forelimbs of a hellhound. Alucard danced around Shalrik, his hellhound familiars striking fiercely at the well armored dragon. Shalrik stood on his haunches, lashing out with forelimbs and biting attacks, letting loose fireballs now and then. But all his power was useless against targets just too fast to hit. Around the courtyard were a score of ghouls. Vampires probably waited in the shadows, tasked with ensuring their master wasn't disturbed.

Matthew had no doubts Alucard would be the victor. But perhaps the three of them could make that win come a little easier?

Matthew turned to the others. "I've got an idea." Seras looked at him, still in her own 'combat mode'. She nodded for him to continue. Anderson looked over, but Matthew figured he was going to do his own things anyway. "Seras, you could find a nice high firing position. Shoot at Shalrik with everything you've got whenever Alucard is out of the way. Displace when needed." She considered the plan and nodded. "Anderson…"

"Don't bother, vampire," he interrupted.

"Fine," Matthew replied. "Do whatever. I'm gonna stay on this level and take potshots at Shalrik."

"Why do you get to stay down here when I have to go up?" Seras asked. Matthew could see the hint of a smirk escape her armor.

Matthew pulled out a shot shell from his backpack. "I've got more of these than slugs. Used a fair number on the way in. I've gotta get up close for the shot rounds to work. Better chance of that if I'm down here." He pressed the round against its dispenser until it popped back in. "So, I'll stay here. You go up."

"All right. Be careful, Matthew."

"You too, Seras." He looked over to Anderson… or rather where he had been. He was charging the nearest collection of ghouls. "So much for stealth." He turned back to Seras, who was already starting to climb. Matthew simply sighed, shook his head, and started over to a column after loading a slug round into Valkyrie.

'On three,' he said to Seras telepathically.

'One…' Seras started.

'Two…' Matthew replied.

In unison, they shouted, 'Three!' Matthew came out from cover, aimed at Shalrik's head, and fired with Seras. Their shots hit Shalrik in unison, sending the dragon to the ground. Shalrik quickly got back to his feet and screeched out a command to his minions. Ghouls and vampires started for Matthew and Seras's positions. Anderson struck fast and strong, cutting through the enemy ranks and giving them something more immediate to think about. Matthew reloaded as Seras fired her second round. Valkyrie spat out its next round and Matthew reached back for another round. His hand found nothing but air.

Matthew whipped his head around, and saw no ammo waiting in the slug dispenser. 'Shit.' He'd used more of them that he'd thought. From the weight of the pack, he still had some shot rounds left. He looked at Shalrik and Alucard's battle, trying to see how it ebbed and flowed. Matthew grabbed two shot rounds. He loaded one into the Valkyrie and held the other in his hand. Peaking around the column a couple times, he planned his route. 'If this doesn't kill me, Seras will.'

Matthew gathered his nerves and launched himself into the fray. He sprinted directly at Shalrik. 'Matthew! What are you doing?!' Seras called to his mind. He had to ignore her. He needed to concentrate. He ran up to point-blank range, aimed Valkyrie, and fired. The silver shot tore into Shalrik, but caused little damage. Matthew quickly reloaded Valkyrie, fired again, then backed off. He drew his right browning and thumbed back its hammer, using the pistol to cover his retreat. He heard Seras yell out, "Look out!"

From the corner of his eye, Matthew saw the incoming danger. He sprung back, trying to get away, but it was too late. Shalrik's forelimb swept through the air, trying to strike him. Matthew's leap got him away from being hit directly, but Shalrik's extended claw sliced through the flesh of Matthew's gut and sent him flying across the room. He hit the ground hard, rolling to the wall. His waist felt as if on fire. He made a quick assessment of the situation. Valkyrie was gone. It had broken off its mount in the roll. He still had his right browning, and it still had ammo in it. His waist had been cut open, but not so badly as to let his guts hang out. He was bleeding badly. Matthew brought his left arm up to the wound and pressed on it, trying to stem the tide of blood.

He was mostly successful. The bleeding was held back so the wound could heal. Figuring more pressure would help more, he leaned against a nearby column. His free right arm was kept busy shooting random shots at Shalrik or some minion. As he fired his last round from the browning and its slide locked back, his mind drifted back to his gut. The pain had faded almost completely. Carefully, he stepped back and pulled his arm away. The bleeding had stopped and the wound was mostly healed. His flesh was still a little weak, so he would have to make sure he wasn't hit in the stomach for a while longer. He freed the spent magazine and let the belt shoot a fresh one in. Hitting the slide release and lowering the hammer, he slid the pistol back in its holster.

Matthew examined his position. Valkyrie was lying in the middle of the room. It was intact, but getting to it would be tough. He took off the backpack. In case he actually got to the cannon, he grabbed a couple shot rounds and stuffed them in his pockets. Matthew pulled Spitfire from its mounts, stuffed in a magazine, and loaded five shotgun shells. There were still a number of reloads on the belts strapped to him. He leaned out to see the battle. Seras's fire had caused serious injury to Shalrik's left forelimb and Alucard's attacks had injured a lot of Shalrik's body. Alucard seemed to be waiting for the right moment to strike.

Matthew would give him that opportunity. He stepped out and aimed at Shalrik's head. "Alucard! Go now!" Matthew walked forward and opened fire, peppering Shalrik with solid silver .223 bullets. The dragon was phased, and Alucard rushed in to make several devastating strikes. Spitfire stopped shooting: Matthew was out of ammo.

"Matthew! To your right!"

Matthew turned at Seras's warning. Shalrik's clawed left forelimb was sweeping toward him again. This time, however, he wasn't defenseless. Matthew dropped to a knee, brought up the Spitfire, cycled the slide, and fired the shotgun. The Spitfire's lower barrel launched silver shot at Shalrik's arm. The already injured forearm recoiled in pain. Matthew cycled the slide and fired again, this time aiming at the wrist. He pumped his last shotgun rounds into that wrist, and watched with a mix of horror and relief as the now severed hand dropped to the ground. Gven time, Shalrik would regain the hand, so Matthew had to act quickly. He reloaded Spitfire's rifle and shotgun parts, and again aimed at Shalrik's head. He let loose another thirty rounds of silver ammunition, followed by five shells of shot into one hind limb. Again empty, Matthew dropped pitfire and drew his brownings.

Shalrik was starting to slow, the combination of attacks from Alucard, Seras, and Matthew proving to be too much for him. Anderson continued to deal with Shalrik's minions, and the ever decreasing number of them was a testament to his efforts. Alucard started another attack run, but Shalrik started to move too, bringing his mouth down to bite Alucard. Matthew provided cover, peppering Shalrik's head with twenty-six anti-vampire bullets.

Apparently, Shalrik had had enough of Matthew. Shalrik attacked Matthew from behind, smacking Matthew with his tail. Matthew was sent flying, his just reloaded brownings parting from his hands. He twisted in the air and landed on his back, sliding about ten feet across the floor. Matthew tried to stand, but his left leg would no longer support him. It was still attached, but there was a large gash in the back of his thigh. It would be a few minutes before it would work again. The dragon's head started for Matthew, preparing to bite him in half.

Matthew looked despirately for a weapon, and his hopes were answered when he looked upward across the floor. There, still intact, was Valkyrie. He reached for it and pulled it to him. From his pocket, he grabbed one of his two shot rounds and loaded it. Shalrik was almost upon him. He brought Valkyrie tight into his shoulder and aimed right into the dragon's mouth. "Time to pay, bastard." He fired, his shot tearing through the inside of Shalrik's skull. The dragon started to recoil, but Matthew already had his last shot loaded. He fired again, and the dragon fell over sideways. The dragon dissolved into a blob, reverting to human form. Shalrik stood, his wounds slowly closing.

Shalrik turned to face Matthew. "Even after all that, you still can't beat me." With another predatory smile, Shalrik started towards Matthew. Matthew tried to move, but his right leg could only push so quickly.

Then, suddenly, a figure stepped between Matthew and Shalrik. It was Alucard, back in his human form. But with one notable exception: his hair was now white… and glowing… and floating… Matthew felt someone grab his arms. He looked back to see Seras, now more her usual self, dragging him to the wall and behind cover. Neither spoke, entranced with what Alucard was doing. Matthew saw something fly past him. His backpack leapt to the center of the room. Alucard spoke. "It is time for our battles to end, Shalrik. Now you shall see my true power!" Alucard's arms raised, and from the backpack Matthew's last ten shot rounds for his Valkyrie leapt out. What happened next was astounding.

The shot rounds broke open, their silver shot melting and forming a ball above Alucard. His arms again dissolved into hellhound familiars, this time each arm splitting in two. The now four familiars lanced ahead with lightning speed, latching onto Shalrik at his shoulders and flanks. Shalrik was lifted into the air, struggling against the hold Alucard had on him. Alucard's back seemed to open up, and the ball of silver flowed into him. As it disappeared, his back closed. In moments, Shalrik was convulsing. Alucard was actually INJECTING the silver INTO Shalrik THROUGH his familiars. It was like a train wreck. Matthew couldn't look away.

From the center of Alucard's chest, another arm appeared. It held Jackal before him. Alucard fired his last bullet.


	17. Chapter 17

When Alucard finally released Shalrik, Shalrik fell to the ground with a thud. The bullet had pierced any last defense Shalrik's heart had had, allowing the silver to pour in. Alucard walked to him, smirking. Shalrik managed to udder three words which Matthew strained to hear. He never admitted to hearing them, they'd chilled him so much. "It ends… Dracula."

Matthew's leg had recovered enough for him to walk, with help. Seras stood to his left, and in a manner similar to those two months ago helped him walk from the courtyard. Matthew looked over at Anderson, who was holding one of his swords before him. He could see in the Paladin's eyes what he wanted. The battle was over. Why not attack the Hellsing scum while they're weakened?

Matthew also saw Alucard. The elder vampire simply rolled his eyes, drew Joshua, and blew off one of the Regenerator's arms. Anderson gave him a look of venom, raised his remaining arm, and disappeared in a flurry of paper. Matthew was shocked, but Seras said it was pretty common with Anderson. Matthew tried to pay in no further mind.

Alucard disappeared after that, probably heading to report in to Sir Integra. Seras helped Matthew out of the castle and to a relatively clear part of the town. Matthew was now able to walk on his own, but needed some help into the helicopter once it arrived. As they lifted off, Matthew looked at Seras. "You know, Seras, I think that all things considered this has been a perfect night."

She paused in thought, then slowly nodded. "I think I finally have peace with this town."

"And I have peace with what I've become… Or at least enough of it to continue on."

Things finally calmed down around Hellsing, giving the troops some much needed respite. Many of the human troops were allowed leave. Matthew was envious, but wasn't angry at anyone. He still had e-mail to keep in touch with everyone, which was a big help. His e-mail conversation with Akira had grown more frequent and less depressing. They were adjusting to how things had changed. 'You know what they say, the relationship that can handle long distance is the one that will last.'

Over the month after Shalrik's defeat, a couple more of his earlier creations and one enhanced vampire started causing some trouble. They fell quickly. Matthew was adjusting, slowly. He still needed help from Seras when it came to blood drinking, but she was always willing to help.

It was about 9:00 AM, one month after Shalrik's defeat, and Matthew figured it was time to get out of bed. He walked across the room to where his clothes waited for him. As he stripped out of his bed clothes there was a knock at the door. "Hang on a sec'!" he yelled out. "I've gotta get dressed!" He quickly pulled on his jeans and got a shirt on, then turned to the door. "Come in!"

The door opened, and Seras entered, her hands behind her back. "Good morning, Matthew."

"Good morning. What's going on?"

Seras, smiling big, walked up to about three feet from him. Suddenly, she brought her hands around, a small wrapped package in her hands. "Happy birthday!"

Matthew's jaw dropped in shock, but he quickly closed it and smiled. 'Once again trying to cheer me up. She must have known I wasn't looking forward to today.' "Thanks!" He received the package from her. It was his first birthday completely isolated from his family. He was twenty, or at least he would have been were he still technically alive. 'Who'd've thought I'd be here after twenty years…' "How'd you know?" he asked.

With a chuckle, she replied, "I checked your personnel file."

He chuckled back. "Cheater." She nodded, and Matthew smiled. "Well, again, thank you." He unwrapped the package. Two paperback novels were contained inside. He smiled again, reaching up with his free hand to hold her shoulder. "Thank you, my friend." He set the books on a nearby table, and after a pause looked back at Seras. "Hey, Seras?"

"Yes?"

He smiled. "I'm in the mood for some chai. Wanna join me? My treat."

She chuckled. "If that's what you want to do. It is your birthday."

"Excellent. Meet me at the motorpool in fifteen minutes, ok?"

With a smile and another chuckle, she said, "All right."

Seras left for her room so she could change into civilian clothes. Matthew put on socks and shoes, pulled on his leather jacket, and put on his sunglasses. It wasn't snowing quite yet, but it was very cold outside. Fifteen minutes later, he stood at the door leading to the motorpool waiting for Seras's arrival. She rounded the corner moments after, wearing her black jeans, white sweatshirt, and red fabric jacket with black boots, red lensed sunglasses, and a red berette. Matthew looked her over for a moment. 'Wearing that, she looks a lot like Akira…'

Seras had picked up on that. "Is that a complement?"

Matthew looked shocked. "I thought you said you didn't read my thoughts!"

She shrugged. "Hard to miss them when you broadcast like that." She smiled. "I'll show you how to keep your thoughts in later."

"Ok," he replied. "And yes, that is a complement. To both you and her." Seras blushed a little. Matthew extended an arm, and Seras took it. "Shall we?"

"Certainly."

As they walked into the motorpool, Matthew spoke. "You know, I think today is going to be a perfect day."

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And that's a wrap! I'd like to thank those of you who have given me tips over the last couple years I've been writing. I've got "tweaked" versions of GC and DF up, and I'll be doing chapter replacements for the in a few minutes. Wasn't a severe rewrite this time around, so it should be easy to get 'em on.


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